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THE 



NATURAL RESOURCES 



Industrial Development 



CONDITION 



OF 



COLORADO 



Published by Authority of the State 

BY 

THE BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION AND STATISTICS. 



DENVER, COLORADO, 

18 8 9. 




fni 



INTRODUCTORY. 



THE Bureau of Immigration and Statistics of the State of Colorado 
was created by an act of the Seventh General Assembly; the act 
was approved by the Governor and became a law on the twentieth 
day of April, 1S89. The purpose of such enactment was the encourage- 
ment of immigration into the State. Under its provisions it became the 
duty of the Superintendent of the Bureau, to give such assistance as is 
practicable to immigrants and to spread abroad full and accurate informa- 
tion with reference to the industries and resources of the State, its wealth 
and its attractions, its prosperity and its possibilities, and the opportunities 
it offers to the people of other lands, for business, for homes and fortunes 
within its borders. For the faithful performance of the manifold duties of 
the department, this little book is placed in the hands of the reader, to 
whom its mission is to present the great sources of wealth in Colorado and 
a statement of simple, impartial facts concerning each county in the State 
and its separate industrial interests. To the inquirer and the intending 
immigrant a perusal of this pamphlet will be profitable. 



DENVER, COLORADO: 
The Collier & CleXveland Lith. Co., State Printers. 



COLORADO. 

THIRTEEN years ago Colorado was admitted into the Union. Before 
the commencement of the present century there is no written record 
of the civilized habitation of the country now known as Colorado, 
except in the southern portion, where a few Mexicans and Spaniards 
had made a settlement, and here their establishments still remain. The 
country now embraced by Colorado was first explored by Americans in 1806, 
when the expedition of Lieutenant Zebulon Pike marched across the plains 
to Pike's Peak, that sublime statue of nature which stands before the world 
in romance, poem and picture — a beacon to western civilization. In 1820 
the expedition of Colonel S. H. Long came across the plains, and in 1842-4 
occurred the celebrated exploration of General John C. Fremont across the 
Rocky Mountains. These three courageous explorers, with their armored 
retinue of brave men, like the Spaniards who ca:ne and went away two cen- 
turies before them, bore testimony of the great mineral wealth of the country 
but each and all reported no discovery of precious metals. As if by the eter- 
nal fitness of things, this discovery was reserved for the progressive people 
of to-day. 

The first actual settlement, from which has grown the present popula- 
tion, was made in 1858, when a party of explorers, under the leadership of 
W. G. Russell, a Georgian, found gold on Dry creek, seven miles south of 
the site of Denver, and made their first settlement at the latter place. The 
news was spread abroad of this discovery, and others which quickly followed, 
inspired in the people of the Eastern States that spirit of western immigration 
which gave world-wide fame to the "Pike's Peak Country" in 1S58 and '59 
and started in motion the wheels of industry which have since that time 
developed fabulous wealth in the State. 

Colorado was organized as a Territory by act of Congress, Februry 28, 
1861, and admitted as a State in 1876, the Centennial year of the nation. 
The State takes its name from its largest stream, the Colorado river, a name 
bestowed by Spaniards and derived from the generally red color of its 
waters, the result of the disintegration of the reddish, clayey soils which 
the river drains in its devious course through the hills and caiions of the 
State toward the sea. 

Colorado is situated between latitude 37° and 41° north, and longitude 
102° and 109° west. It is bounded on the east by Kansas and Nebraska, on 
the west by Utah, on the north by Wyoming Territory, and on the south by 
Indian Territory and New Mexico. The State has an area of 104,500 square 
miles. Its average length, east and west, is 380 miles; its breadth north 
and south, 280 miles, and it contains 55 counties. Many years before the 
Territory became a State, a long time before the plow had made a furrow in 



Q • COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

the soil of her virgin breast, and while still the savage Indian roamed at 
will, dominating mountain and plain, it was the prophecy of wise men of 
the time that Colorado would become the center of western civilization. 
How surely this prophecy has been fulfilled! In less time than the average 
life of man nearly two millions of acres have been furrowed by the plow; 
the savage and his legendary and his trappings have gone; the furnace and 
workshop have taken the place of his smoking wigwam, and the implements 
of industry have supplanted his crude weapons of war. 

A glance at the map of the Union shows the advantage of Colorado's 
location with reference to the commerce of the western half of the nation. 
Occupying a central position among the States and Territories, forming a 
large proportion of their agricultural area, and exceeding each of them in 
the natural sources of wealth, it is the land to which all the industrial 
regions of the West will come to pay tribute and exchange the products of 
their genius and their labor. Geographically, it is the great central ground 
of trafiic and travel between the two oceans and between British America 
and the Gulf of Mexico — a broad and promising field for the industries, the 
arts and the sciences. Each passing decade leaves a record of phenomenal 
development; her brilliant achievements during the past ten years have 
spread her fame throughout the American Continent and to-day command 
the admiration of the civilized world. What has been accomplished within 
thirty years which have elapsed since the first settlement in Colorado as a 
barren Territor}', shows a rate of progress unrivaled in the history of civili- 
zation. What has been done since her admission as a State, in 1876, 
presents a marvelous history of precocious growth. The event of her 
admission to Statehood antedates the period of her substantial progress, 
and the subsequent steps of her advancement is a surprising study. 

With the advent of the gold seekers of 1S59, Colorado became famous 
as a mining country, with fabulous wealth of gold and silver. Beyond this, 
little was known of its possibilities of natural resources till the first ten 
years -syere past and the year 1870 was ushered in, bringing with it the first 
railroad and the first assurance to the people of a permanent industrial 
establishment in Colorado. The year 1880 brought the great impetus to 
mining which has placed Colorado at the head of all other States in that 
industry. It found new railroad lines in operation and other great railway 
projects pointing toward the State. Since that period, new towns and cities 
have sprung up in great numbers in all sections of the State; sixteen main 
lines of railway, with their numerous branches, now thread the mountains 
and plains; agriculture has made marvelous progress and become a leading 
industry; the live stock industry has grown to great proportions and immense 
profit, and manufacturing has become a substantial and growing source of 
wealth. The past ten years has been a period when the best methods of 
enterprise have been adopted and the strongest efforts put forward, result- 
ing to-day in the multiplication of industries and the development of all 
the natural resources of the State. 

Bqual in importance to all the rest, its numerous advantages have 
attracted to the State from all parts of America, and from all civilized 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 7 

nations of the world, a class of people who may be characterized in general 
as industrious, enterprising and intelligent, comprising all the genius and 
good qualities essential to the development of the country. 

When Colorado became a State its population was 65,000; in 1885 it was 
223,900. In 18S9 the population is estimated at over 400,000. In view of a 
future which is confidently anticipated by every well informed person in 
Colorado, whether he be resident or visitor, it is the desire, and it also becomes 
the duty, of the Bureau of Immigration and Statistics to show the result of 
present industrial operations as a basis of calculation for the possibilities of 
that future. Nothing can serve this purpose better than a brief statement 
of simple facts, and primarily in this connection it is asserted without hesi- 
tation that, with a present population of less than half a million, there is 
room and opportunity for many millions of people. 

The erroneous impression which has prevailed abroad that Colorado is 
exclusively a mining and grazing countr}-, was not without some good reason 
a few j'ears ago. Until the beginning of the- present decade, the sparse 
population was mainly devoted to these occupations; but even within less 
than ten years past the birth of new industries has been so numerous, and 
their growth so phenomenal, that the people can not keep pace with their 
strides of progress. Mining continues to be the leading industry, because 
its product is of more value than that of any single source of wealth in the 
State. In this respect mining is not only the leading industry of the State, 
but Colorado is the leading gold and silver producer in the United States. 
Taken singly, it is a source of immense wealth, but its profits are small " 
when compared with those of the combined industries of the State. 

After mining, agriculture takes precedence of the live stock interest, and 
is fast forging ahead as a rival of mining for first position among the profit- 
able industries of the State. The results of farming in Colorado have proved 
successful beyond the most extravagant expectation. The soil is everywhere 
rich, and w^herever accessible to irrigation, or within the rain districts, highly 
productive of all the cereals, grasses, fruits and vegetables. One of the strong 
indications of Colorado's superior advantages as an agricultural country is 
the immense volume of business transacted by the several Government Land 
Offices of the State. The sales have been enormous during the past three 
years. The aggregate entries for 1888 were 31,800, embracing 2,630,032 acres, 
the greater part being pre-emptions, homestead and timber culture entries 
in sections of the State where immediate farming operations are practicable. 
It is estimated by the most competent engineers and surveyors that the total 
arable land in Colorado, accessible tow^ater, is 54,000 square miles, or 34,560, 
000 acres. Of this immease area the number of acres under cultivation is 
not less than 2,000,000. Thus may be seen what a vast field of opportunity 
there is for the immigrant to Colorado seeking a place for settlement and a 
home. 

The animal industry of Colorado is one of its permanent sources of 
increasing wealth, and it is an interest of unlimited possibilities. In former 
years, and until quite a recent period, the cattle men and their herds held 
undisputed domain over the plains. But now the attention of growers is 



8 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

divided between cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. Greater care is taken and 
new methods adopted in their culture, and among the changes that have 
taken place are finer breeds and a more profitable industry. 

But apart from these three great industries, which are esteemed as the 
main sources of her wealth, Colorado possesses unknown riches in other 
resources which are awaiting development. 

The coal strata underlying Colorado is estimated at 36,000 square 
miles. That is to say, if all the veins of profitable output were placed in a 
solid body, their combined area would be represented by the above figure. 
These unknown legion of veins represent all the varieties of hard and soft 
coals, and, as if in conformity with the Divine plan of populating the 
earth, wherein all the requirements of man are anticipated by the Creative 
Wisdom, the coal bearing areas are equally distributed throughout the 
State, the more extensive and most convenient where most needed. There 
are a few exceptions to this order of things, but where these exceptions 
occur, the location of the coal is relative to other sections of the State rich 
in products of a different nature, between which sections there is a mutual 
dependence for supplies. 

Petroleum has been discovered in man}' parts of the State, and there is 
one extensively developed field which supplies all of Colorado and a large 
part of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Kansas with refined oil and lubri- 
cants. 

The iron deposits of the State are immeasurable. The native ore is 
used exclusively by the largest iron manufactory in the State. The products 
mainly consist of rails, iron and steel, castings and merchant iron of all 
varieties and of the finest quality. In quantity of iron, Colorado excels 
any State in the Union. 

Copper and lead exist in immense quantities, principally intermingled 
with the precious metals, and in this way these products are mined. The 
volume thus produced is sufiicieut to justify the establishment of extensive 
copper and lead works and this is just now becoming one of the subsidiary 
adjuncts to the mining industry of the State. 

Colorado is the center of all the wool growing West. The number of 
sheep accredited to the State is 3,000,000. It is claimed that it can easily 
maintain 25,000,000 head. The wool product of 1888 was 9,000,000 pounds. 
With the home product and a reasonable share of that of the Rocky Mount- 
ain region, Colorado could become one of the greatest wool manufacturing 
centers in the world. 

There is enough building stone in Colorado to build all the houses in 
the United States for a centurj- — may be for an age. To compute the 
quantity is beyond the possibility of man. As to quality, it is the finest in 
the nation, and it is found in all varieties of kinds and colors. As an illus- 
tration of these measureless masses, in one quarry alone there is a single, 
compact body containing 50,000,000 unbroken square feet of delicate pink 
sand-stone, which is the choice building material of the State. The owner 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 9 

of the quarry says that neither he nor his children can live long enough to 
remove this mass. What there is beneath and around and about it must 
remain to be usd by the children of a distant age. And yet this stone is 
worth sixtj' cents per square foot at any railway station in Colorado. There 
are scores of such quarries in the State. 

Colorado has all the natural resources, water power and capabilities for 
extensive manufacturing, in iron, lead, copper, wood, wool, glass, leather, 
clay and many other things to be enumerated among the dependent indus- 
tries. The mountains of Colorado comprise a great forest, and the timbers 
are useful in building. 

Colorado is abundantly supplied with natural parks, water courses and 
mineral springs of the finest medicinal qualities, and among these places it 
has some of the most charming health resorts in the world. One of the 
chief glories of the State is its artesian wells, which are obtained in the 
lower levels of the mountain region, and for a distance of fifty miles or 
more out upon the plains. The water in places is chemically pure. In 
many instances it is strongly impregnated with mineral. 

With its altitude and dry atmosphere, its delightful climate, its grand- 
cur of scenery, its beautiful parks and charming health resorts, Colorado is 
the refuge of the invalid and the most fascinating retreat of the pleasure 
seeker and the tourist. 

As a field of industry and enterprise, its boundless resources of wealth 
and its wonderful opportunities for capital and labor offer the most flatter- 
ing inducements to the immigrant whose progressive spirit has fixed the 
eye of faith upon the star of empire, as westward it takes its way. 



THE MINING INDUSTRY. 



THE record of mining in Colorado has been that of a steady increase 
of production from the first discoveries in 1859 to the present day. 
The total production of gold and silver from 1859 to 1870 amounted 
in value to 127,543,801; in 1870, the production was 12,850,000; in 
18S0, the value of the precious metals mined was ^21,821,500, an increase in 
the annual production of ^19, 000,000, as compared with 1870. In the suc- 
ceeding years, with but one exception, that of 1885, when the product was 
$17,990,351, the average varied but slightly from the figures of 1880 until 
the past year — 1888 — when the gold and silver mined in Colorado reached 
the enormous value of 128,031,047. 



10 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

The value of lead produced was 17,006,691, and of copper $203,255, 
making of gold, silver, copper and lead a total production of $35, 240, 994. 
Gold and silver are reckoned by these figures at coinage rate and the lead 
and copper at average market value. 

The value of Colorado's ore production from 1859 to 1888, inclusive, 
was $283,637,546. The total value of the lead produced was 138,121,552; 
the value of copper was $5,143,847. 

This brief summary of the results from mining operations in Colorado, 
presented as they are at the outstart of a cursory review of that industry, is 
designed to serve a special and important purpose. The history of mining 
in the United States, and for that matter, in all the world has been so pre- 
carious, and the fortunes of those engaged in the industry so capricious, 
that the universal skepticism of man and the timidity of capital regarding 
it are not surprising. Among the most successful mining men in Colorado 
are to be found the most careful ones, and their sense of extreme caution 
may be assimilated to the skepticism of those whose homes and business 
pursuits are remote from the mining regions. 

Similar in many respects to all progressive mining countries, where men 
have made and lost enormous fortunes in a day, Colorado has enjoyed and 
suffered the painful consequences of a speculative period. It is everywhere 
notorious that this period was the years from 1S79 to 1S82, embracing the 
time of discovery and first development of the great carbonate beds at Lead- 
ville. Within this period of wild excitement all classes and description of 
men, coming from every State in the Union, coming from all parts of the 
world, crowded into the mining camp and staked their fortunes, large and 
small, against the game of chance. They comprized that class of men who, 
under any ordinary circumstances, if the)' were possessed of wealth, "dare 
to put it to the touch and win or lose it all." And thus for three years this 
game of chance went on, and as the wheel of fortune turned, each revolu- 
tion was but a repetition of the old, old story, "Some went up and some went 
down," a few became rich and many became poor. But it was not the people 
actually engaged in the industry at Ivcadville who were alone affected by the 
great sensational developments. The victims, or the favorities to fortune, 
were to be found in Wall Street, in all parts of America and in Europe. 

But whatever the demerits of this epoch in the mining historj' of Colo- 
rado might have been, it should not be forgotten that the gold and silver 
product of the State for 1879, was $13,989,233, against $9,282,191 in 1878. 
It was the beginning of the real substantial development of Colorado's minesr. 
and now, since the day of sensational booms has passed, there can be no 
comparison between the mining business of the present and that of ten years 
ago, just prior to the Leadville discovery. That was the era of the new begin- 
ning, while the signs of a sure progress and a permanent prosperity mark the 
operations of to-day. 

The mining reminiscences of ten years ago have scarcely a connection 
with the active operations of to-day. The story of the present is accom- 
panied with a golden prophecy for the future, and brings with it its advanced 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. H 

theories, its broader experiences, its increase of knowledge, its sturdier 
manhood and its more honest and enterprising purpose. The industry has. 
advanced, moreover, by reason of new methods, modern appliances and 
improved facilities for economic operations and profitable results. 

It is not the intention of this Bureau of Immigration to convey the 
idea that there was ever a period in its history when the mining industry of 
Colorado was excessively speculative. It is the purpose rather, to make the 
candid confession, that there was a period legitimately speculative rather 
than chimerical, which will always be associated with what is familiarly 
known as the "Leadville Boom." But it is worthy of special notice in this 
connection, that in the first year of that sensational development, there 
was an increase in the production of the precious metals of nearly |4,ooo,- 
Goo, over the preceding year of 1878, and in the year following — 1880 — an 
increase of |5i 2,00c ,000. This increase was mainly due to the actual develop- 
ment of the new Leadville discoveries. 

As has been stated, this average was well maintained until 1888 when 
there was an increase of ^6,000,000 over the production of any preceding: 
year and an increase of nearly |8,ooo,ooo over the production of 1887. 

The great increase of the past year is mainl}^ due to the rich strikes at 
Aspen. The steady increasing output for a series of years is due in part to 
new discoveries, but the result mainly of the practical business methods 
which have been universally adopted. 

The mining industr}- of Colorado has had a natural development and is 
now conducted upon the accurate principles of business that establish it as 
a sure and safe way to make money. Not in the nature of sudden and easy 
fortunes by wild investment in doubtful properties, nor by speculation in 
fraudulent stocks or schemes, but mainly by work upon the many mineral 
discoveries, old and new, that have been made in all the mining districts of 
the State. The mountains of Colorado are seamed and loaded with gold, 
silver, and all the metals of commercial use. Here is treasure for the world 
in the ages to come. 



12 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 





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COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 13 

The foregoing table was compiled for the United States Treasury Depart- 
ment by Professor George D. Munsou, late melter of the U. S. Mint at 
Denver. The figures given are officially reported by Government agents 
and mine superintendents of the several mining counties. As a great num- 
ber of smaller producing properties are not included in the reports from 
which the summary of counties is made, this aggregate of production for 
one year should be regarded as an underestimate rather than an exaggera- 
tion. The number of mines reporting, and from which the figures of total 
output for the 3'ear are given, was less than 700. Of well developed mines, 
partly developed mines, small pajnng properties and good prospect discover- 
ies, there are manj- thousands in the State. So that, after all, the official 
table must be regarded as an underestimate of the real production, inasmuch 
as there was no report from the greater number of small-paying mines. 

There is one leading question which ver}^ naturally springs from the 
people of all countries concerning the mining industry of Colorado, and 
that is the question which demands an answer from the Bureau. The ques- 
tion is: "What are the opportunities for making money in mining? " It 
is a familiar but truthful saying in the mountains that "The mining busi- 
ness of Colorado is yet in its infancy." The significance of this saying can 
be defined in two brief sentences. There are thousands of square miles of 
undiscovei^ed mineral lands in the State, and there are thousands of located 
mining properties that are as yet undeveloped. It has been the history of 
many of the richest mines in the State that in the first stages of their devel- 
opment they were regarded as of little or no value, and often abandoned bv 
the original locators. There are many thousands of such prospects in the 
State, and they await only the same application of genius and labor that has 
brought so many millions of treasure out of the Rocky Mountains in the 
past ten years. Prior to 1879 ^^^l 18S0, the mining enterprise of Colorado 
was mainly the effort of discovery. The few years which have elapsed since 
that time have been a period of development. That this development work 
has only a fair beginning is a self-evident truth. The deeper the mines are 
worked, the broader the scope of development and the greater the amount 
of gold and silver extracted, the more numerous and surprising are the dis- 
coveries of the precious metals, while the most encouraging results are 
obtained from the very beginning of the development work on many of the 
new properties. 

But there are other features of the mining industr}^ which place it upon 
a money making basis, differing from the purely speculative method. In 
the early days, the prospector located his claim only to sell it when a good 
opportunity and a fair price was offered. Now, a great many mines of no 
large pretensions are operated by the owners, who perform the labor of 
development themselves and make a steady income of handsome profits. 
From this source a large portion of the mineral wealth of the State is 
obtained. Thus, by the application of honest, intelligent labor, the mining 
industry of Colorado has become a legitimate business, whether the property 
is rich or poor. As there are great plantations and small farms in the 
world, each equally important according to the purposes the}' serve, so there 



J 4 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

are large and small mines, rich and poor mines, each proportionately profit- 
able by the application of diligent industry, scientific methods and common 
sense. The mine owner of Colorado, whether his property is large or 
small, conducts his operations upon strictly business principles, and thus 
his investment and his labor become profitable. 

It is not, however, the intention of these practical observations to con- 
vey the idea that speculation in mining stocks and mining property is an 
illegitimate means of making money. Under the present system of mining 
in Colorado there can be no difference of principle between the purchase 
of mining property or mining stocks and the purchase of a farm or herd of 
cattle. It is within the means of the purchaser to ascertain in advance the 
exact nature of the purchase which he desires to make. If he should 
choose a richly developed mine, he has the opportunity of thorough inves- 
tigation in order that he may not be deceived. If he should select a small 
property, or a mere prospect, at a small price, both the seller and the buyer 
must necessarily take the gambler's chances on the result. In this event 
the buyer has the advantage of determining the possible value of the loca- 
tion of the property with reference to the general mineral formation, or its 
situation relative to contiguous mines. 

Under the influence of such logical views as the foregoing, there has 
been a great awakening and renewed activity in the mining business of 
Colorado within the past two years. It may not be a little surprising to 
readers abroad that within this period the general work of preparation and 
the supply of improved and powerful machinery for progressive operations 
in mining has been nearly double that of any period in the history of Colo- 
rado, while the beneficial results of operations within these two years is 
seen in a marvelous growth of the towns, cities and agricultural districts of 
the State, 

It is a fact that can be easily substantiated by the most reliable records, 
that there has never been a lull or depression in the mining industry of the 
State. A few large producing mines have failed or dropped off in their an- 
nual yield; a few others have been abandoned, and some defective forma- 
tions have caused disappointment and disaster to the owners; but while as 
a result of these irregularities there has prevailed no little degree of skep- 
ticism abroad, the miner has continued steadily at work; new- fields have 
been explored, many new discoveries made, great bodies of high-grade ores 
have been developed, and, happily, just in the midst of what may properly 
be called the doubtful period, Colorado takes her proud position in the front 
rank as the leading ore producer of the nation, with a record cf over I35,- 
000,000 value for 188S. 

While it is not the desire of the Bureau of Immigration to excite a 
sensational interest in Colorado's mining industry, it is only fair to repeat 
that within the numerous mining districts of the State there remain not 
only thousands of prospects yet to be developed, but thousands of discoveries 
yet to be made. IMany of these prospects are located upon the great car- 
bonate deposits and fissure veins which are already yielding such immense 
wealth to the country. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 15 

But few people living in parts of the world remote from the mining 
regions know what a prospect is. For the benefit of the uninitiated, it may 
be sufficient to explain that a prospect is merely a "hole in the ground," 
located upon a mineral deposit, or lode, or a fissure vein, or at a place where 
there is mineral in sight in some special form, in conformity with the 
United States law concerning the locatiou of mineral lands. 

In every reputable district there are contiguous to the richer mines a 
number of smaller mines and undeveloped prospects. There is always the 
probability that these prospets may be equally rich in mineral. These 
prospects have not been developed because the owners are waiting either 
for the opportunity of a sale or for some stroke of fortune that will enable 
them to prosecute development work. 

These "prospects— these "holes in the ground " represent identically 
the same situation in mining that gave the great impetus to mining in 1879 
and '80, and which turned the tide of fortune in favor of many a poor man. 
In this great aggregation of mere prospects, which to-da> are cheap in the 
market, is the assurance of treasure for the centuries to come — treasure 
that is waiting only for the heart of faith and the hand of industry to take 
it from its rock-ribbed vaults and convert it into bullion. In the mining 
industry, this is the main opportunity for the capitalist or the immigrant 
seeking fortune in Colorado. As one of the great advantages to mining in 
Colorado, it is especially worthy of mention that the development of many 
rich mining districts is due for the most part to railway development. With 
the exception of Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, the mining districts of the 
State were entireh' without railroads prior to '/g-'So. Now, the State is fretted 
with these lines of steel, which reach every important mining camp in Colora- 
do. The introduction of improved and powerful machinery has also caused a 
transformation in the mining industry. Ores are now mined at a cost of 
cents where formerly it was dollars. The industry is no longer regarded as 
one aifording a precarious sustenance to a horde of nomadic adventurers. 
The wealthiest capitalists of Colorado are those who have made their for- 
' tunes out of mining. It has built cities in the mountains and on the plains; 
has developed the coal and iron resources of the State; led to the establish- 
ment of numerous manufactories, and aided in the advancement of every 
industr}' in the State. 

The great future of mining in Colorado can be estimated by the histor}- 
of the past and the great opportunities of the present. Both the past and 
the present operations serve to demonstrate more clearly than all else that 
the greatest opportunity for fortune in Colorado lies in the mining develop- 
ment of the future. 



16 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

% 

LEAD AND COPPER. 

THE value of the lead which has been produced in Colorado since the 
beginning of mining operations in 1859, including the product of 
1888, was 138, 121,552; the value of copper was 15,143,847. The amount 
of lead produced in 1888 was 65,529 tons, valued at 15,776,552; the 
amount of copper in 1S88 was 961,548 pounds, valued at $153,847. 

There is but one mine in the State that is worked exclusively for lead. 
All other lead produced in the State is from ore which is gold and silver 
bearing, the lead forming a portion of its value. In many instances, how- 
ever, the value of the lead is equal if not greater than that of the precious 
metals mined with them. The larger proportion of the lead thus mined is 
used by the local smelters and refining works in the treatment of ores. The 
surplus is used principally in the State for the manufacture of lead pipe, 
sheet lead and bar lead. The ores of the precious metals containing lead 
also carry a large percent, of zinc, which aggregates an enormous quantity. 
As there are no means at present for utilizing this metal at home, it lies on 
the dumps at the mines in great quantities, awaiting the day when enterpris- 
ing capital will take it away and turn it into the channels of its usefulness. 

As to the copper product, though at present comparatively small, it 
steadily maintains its proportionate increase in the general mineral output, 
and is now being extensively converted into copper matte. A plant is also 
under construction for the manufactiire of copper sheet and wire. 



IRON DEPOSITS AND PRODUCTS. 

THE iron industrj' of Colorado remains an undeveloped field of great 
promise. It is well known to many scientific explorers in the United 
States that large bodies of iron are very numerous in Colorado. The 
real extent of these bodies, and the true value of the ores discovered, 
have not been fully determined. But so far as the results of investigation 
and practical experiment have shown the iron ores of Colorado are abundant 
and are, in large proportion, of standard quality. The practical tests which 
have been made, however, have not been merely in the nature of experi- 
ment, but of extensive manufacturing. Such operations being confined 
principally to one establishment in the State, the fact remains that the iron 
industry of Colorado is practically an unexplored field. 

Pig iron was made from native ores as early as 1863. These ores were 
found on the plains between Denver and the foot hills. From a cold blast 
furnace of faulty construction, two and a half tons of excellent pig iron 
were produced daily. After the year 1865, the experiment was abandoned, 
and there was no special effort in the manufacture of iron from native ore 
till 1S79, when a very extensive iron and steel plant was established at 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 17 

Pueblo, and this is the only establishment manufacturing exclusively from 
Colorado ores. The present capacity of these works for annual production 
is in round figures about as follows: 

TONS. 

Pig iron 25,000 

Steel rails 16,500 

Iron castings 1,300 

Cast-iroii pipe 1,200 

Merchant bar, etc 4,700 

Nails — loo-lb. kegs — 45,000 

Spikes 2,500 

There are other large establishments in the State which use in a small 
proportion the native ores in connection with imported material; and while 
the volume of such material used is comparatively insignificant, it is suffi- 
ciently large and the results of such excellent character as to establish the 
permanency of the iron industry of Colorado beyond question. 

The areas of the State, where iron deposits are known to exist in the 
largest bodies and of the best quality, are embraced by the counties of 
Jefferson, Boulder, Fremont, Chaffee, Gunnison and Pitkin, though the 
ores are found in many other sections. The most recent explorations of 
Colorado's iron fields were made under the auspices of the Colorado School 
of Mines. The first and most important matter determined by the investi- 
gation was as to the proportion of iron relative to all other matter to be 
found in these ores. The results given of the analyses made are prefaced 
with a statement of the many conditions under which the iron extracted 
may or may not be useful. In enumerating the detrimental elements, it is 
stated that the presence of phosphoric acid in any large qtiantity is such a 
detriment to the manufacture of good steel that "We maj' sa}- that an ore 
will or will not yield steel-making iron according to the percentage of phos- 
phorus which it contains. The variations of different ores as to their per- 
centage of this substance are extreme, running from mere traces, up through 
figures still allowable for Bessemer metal, then for the various grades of. 
foundry iron, and finally to amounts which would render the metal unfit for 
any use." 

While the ores of Colorado show the usual great range of this stibstance, 
few localities in the United States will produce ore so non-phosphatic as 
those extracted from some of the larger iron bodies of Colorado. 

In conclusion of a thorough discussion of the analysis made, it is stated 
that iron ore may run as low as 35 per cent., and yet be quite profitably 
worked, but this would only be true of the easily reduced carbonates, so 
rich in lime or magnesia as to be almost or quite self-fluxing. Following 
these observations are presented tables of analyses of average specimens 
from some of the principal ore deposits in the State. 

MINE IN SAGUACHE COUNTY. 
(Over 100,000 tons extracted.) 

Silica 9.33 

Water 10.51 

Alumina 3.43 

Oxide of Manganese ... . 0.35 ^ ^^^^ 5,.66 

Knesia ; l ; ; ; ;•..•.•.•.: 0:06 < phosphorus 0.031 

Peroxide of Iron 75.23 

Phosphoric Acid 00.71 

Sulphur 00.19 

qg . 830 

This is a brown hematite, containing over 58 per cent, of metal. 



18 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

CALUMET MINE IX CHAFFEE COUNTY. 

The result of this analysis is: 

Iron 63.28 

Sulphur 0.61 

Phosphorus 0.007 

This is a Bessemer ore of rare merit, so phenomenally low in phos- 
phorus that it could, by mixing, be made to carry ores which by them- 
selves are too high in that impurity. 

BOG ORE — GUNNISON COUNTY. 

A great body of ore half mile in extent and of unknown depth. 

Iron 50-73 

Phosphorus 0.145 

This ore is a chemical curiosity, containing figures on certain constitu- 
ents which are phenomenal for highness and lowness, respectively. After 
burning, this ore would be enriched to nearly 67 per cent, of metallic iron 
by the loss of water and metallic iron. The phosphorus, too high for Bes- 
semer, is low enough for pig iron intended for nearly all other purposes. 

In Gunnison county the great Iron King deposit is reported upon as 
follows: 

"The Iron King is a deposit of extraordinarj^ and almost indefinite 
possibilities. The outcrop is enormous, high in grade, and extends for a 
mile in the mountain side. The deposit is in the silurian strata; lies between 
quartzite and limestone; is a magnetic ore; the analysis revealed very little 
sulphur, while the phosphorus is so low as to class the ore at once as a Besse- 
mer material." 

Samples from the whole mass gave: 

PER CENT. 

Metallic iron 49.71 

Sample from whole cut, 90 feet — :netallic iron 52.16 

• General sample from 40 feet — metallic iron 55.62 

Samples from whole length — metallic iron .... 58.19 

Samples from best exposures near lime stonewall — metallic iron . 67.27 

Analysis of general sample: 

PER CENT. 

Water 65 

Silica 3. 85 

Iron metal 58.75 

Sulphur 0.123 

Phosphorus .44 

Lime Trace 

Magnesia Trace 

Speaking with special reference to the iron resources of Gunnison county, 
the report says: "Whatever may be the future of the industry in the Gunni- 
son region, there can be no reasonable doubt of the existence of good ore 
in great quantity. Nor do I think are the conditions lacking for the estab- 
lishment in the Valley of the Gunnison of iron industries of great magni- 
tude and importance." 

The prereqtiisites of success in the manufacture of cheap pig metal are 
then given as follows: 

First — Abundant ore, running above 55 per cent, of metal at a low cost 
of mining. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 19 

Second — Coking coal, low in ash and sulphur, obtainable in large 
quantities. 

Third — Pure limestone. 

Fourth — Reasonable proximity of all the mined products to the furnace 
site; and 

Fifth — A scale of wages which will bring the item of labor per ton 
well inside of two dollars. 

In all these respects, it is stated, Gunnison county is favored far beyond 
the majority of furnace sites in the United States. It is also stated that 
pig iron can be produced as cheaply in the section named as in the most 
favored region of Alabama. In making the above quotations, it is not de- 
signed to call special attention to any particular section or count}^ of the 
State, but to present from the most authentic and learned sources state- 
ments concerning the possibilities of iron production and manufacture in 
Colorado. The discoveries in Gunnison county simply give emphasis to the 
most positive declaration that the best quality of iron exists in great 
abundance in the State. The result of ten years' labor by the Colorado 
Coal and Iron Company demonstrates beyond all question the practicability 
of mining these ores and converting them into all manner of useful wares 
in iron and steel. Within the past year an extensive rolling mill and iron 
taanufactory has been established at Trinidad, with the design of using 
native ores for its products. As there is no limit to the supply of raw 
material, the iron manufactory will necessarily become ere long one of the 
leading industries of the State. 



A GREAT AGRICULTURAL STATE'. 



K GRICULTURE has been of phenomenal growth in Colorado during 
/ \ the past ten years, and it is now regarded as one of the foremost 
y \ wealth producing industries of the State. Since the days when 
farming by irrigation was first intr-^duced along the mountain 
streams near Denver, a constant increase in this industry has been one of 
the chief promoters of the State's development. Farm products were 
raised in Colorado as early as i860, but owing to the sparse population, the 
limited areas of available land, and the many disadvantages of such labor, 
farming operations were little more than an experiment and scarcely taken 
into account as an established industry until 1870, when the true history of 
agriculture in Colorado began. In that year the first statistical record of 
Colorado farm products is given. Now, the industry has grown into great 
importance and is wide-spread in its acquisition of land. 

The State is blessed with natural resources for the most perfect sj-stem 
of irrigation known in the United States, and hitherto most of those who 



9Q COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

have engaged in agriculture in Colorado have done so under the irrigation 
process; but within the past five years, the "rain belt" has extended far 
westward, toward the center of the State, and thus a large portion of east- 
ern Colorado is rendered valuable for farming without irrigation. Crops 
have been raised in these sections during the past five years without water, 
except the natural rain-fall. 

Within the past two years (1S87-1888) large farms have been established 
in these sections, and in many instances the soil has yielded fifty to seventy- 
five bushels to the acre, the products consisting of the leading cereals, 
potatoes and the hay-making grasses. 

The total yield of the principal agricultural products, as reported by 
the assessors of the various counties for 1888, including wool, was as 
follows: 

BUSHELS. 

Wheat 2,516,843 

Corn 908,224 

Rye 38,641 

Oats 1,563,385 

Barley • i97,oi6 

Potatoes 2,856,864 

' TONS. 

Hay 467,800 

POUNDS. 

Wool 9,878,586 

Total value of principa^_ products, including wool, $13,584,131. 

In view of the well-known fact that the assessors' returns never repre- 
sent over two-thirds of the actual value of taxable wealth, it would be fair 
to add about I5, 000, 000 to the above figures, which would give a total of 
$18,584,131. To this sum there should be added the value of orchard and 
all other products of the farm, which would not fall short of $30,00 ),ooo, 
and for the year 1889 the revenue from the soil in all departments of agri- 
culture, including live stock production, dairy and garden products, etc., 
will, according to the great increases which have been made, reach the sum 
of $35,000,000. Should results prove these figures approximately correct, 
then agriculture will have reached a position on a par with the present 
status of mining in the value of its products. 

The increased acreage this 3'ear would indicate an increase of produc- 
tion of not less than 25 per cent. So it will be seen by these estimates that 
the revenue derived from agriculture is not far below that of the mining 
industry. 

Agriculture in Colorado has many peculiarities, and these peculiarities 
must be understood before its present status can be properly accredited or 
its possibilities appreciated. Colorado soil and climate differ in many res- 
pects from those of any other State or country. One virtue ascribed to the 
soil, is that it is everywhere strongly impregnated with mineral matter. 
The general nature of the soil varies and is represented by the gravelly, 
sandy, clayey, loamy, calcerous, peaty and adobe soils of the best grades, 
suitable and remarkably well adapted to the production of small grain, 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 21 

grasses, vegetables, fruits and trees that grow elsewhere in this latitude. 
Under the benign influence of a congenial climate, aided by the simple 
methods of irrigation, vegetation is spontaneous and abundant, while the 
soil is wonderfully responsive to scientific appliances. 

Experiments in the past ten years have proved the possibilities of 
agriculture so far that the question is not "What can be raised?" but 
"What can be raised to the greatest advantage?" The best adaptability 
shown thus far is for the culture of wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, potatoes, 
alfalfa and the hay-making grasses; apples and small fruits have an import- 
ant place, while vegetables of all kinds grow luxuriant and abundant. 

Buckwheat, tobacco and sorghum sugar-cane can be grown in the State 
successfully, but these products have had no crops of account. Bxperi- 
ments in southern Colorado have proved that tobacco can be grown of a 
superior quality and with abundant yield. 

In growing wheat, oats, barlej' and rye, the soil and climate, aided by 
irrigation, are so much better suited to the cereals than in rainy countries 
that the grain is much heavier, more prolific and better feed. So improved 
are they in every way that when compared with the seed and the grain 
raised from it the first year they are so different as not to be recognized as 
the same. The dry climate has a tendency to make all white grain whiter 
and all colored seeds much more clearly defined in color. The wheats re- 
ceived here from all countries for trial become much better in milling prop- 
erties after being raised two or three years. The bran is thinner and the 
gluten more abundant and of better quality. 

The cost of raising wheat per acre varies on account of the yield and 
difficulties attending its cultivation. The average cost of seeding, irrigat- 
ing, harvesting and preparing it for market, sacked, is about ^12.50 per 
acre. Many farms lay so well and have water so convenient that some 
crops are produced for half that amount. There have been recent yields 
the yield at an average of a little less than 20 bushels. Oats jaeld much 
of 48, 54, 66 and 77 bushels per acre. The average yield over the State 
for the past ten years has been 22 bushels per acre. Oats yield much 
more and weigh from 40 to 54 pounds per bushel. 

Barley and rye are fine crops. They nearly double the size of the seed 
received and the common winter rye becomes in many instarvces a perennial 
producing crop. 

Corn, almost a failure in the early stages of agriculture, has become a 
very successful crop, and gives promise of a rich development. For the past 
three or foiir years certain varieties have become so improved and acclimated 
that in nearly all portions of the State they are successfully grown. The 
valley lands on the western slope, the "divide" and the "rain belt area" of 
eastern Cororado are sections especially well adapted to the cultivation of 
corn. Corn requires much less water than the small grains. It is often 
raised without a single irrigation and has been successfully matured at an 
altitude of 6,000 feet. So much is now raised that it has become an im- 
portant factor in feeding. The production of corn for 18SS is reported at 



22 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

near 1,000,000 bushels, and the acreage is so greatly increased that the esti- 
mate for this year (1889) is 2,000,000 bushels. The average cost of produc- 
tion is about I11.50 per acre. The average yield is about 35 bushels. 

Irish potatoes form a staple crop and a large source of revenue to 
Colorado. Colorado potatoes are among the finest raised on the Continent. 
They are grown in all parts of the State. Besides supplying the Colorado 
markets, the Colorado potatoes are shipped in car-loads to New Orleans, 
Kansas City, St. Louis, Fort Worth, Texas, Chicago, Omaha, Buffalo, New 
York, Pittsburg and Cincinnati. 

As with all agricultural countries the yield per acre depends upon loca- 
tion, soil, climatic influences aud methods adopted in the cultivation of the 
crops. The farm lands of Colorado have three natural divisions, each differ- 
ing in climate and soil. These divisions are the open plains lands east of 
the mountains, the valley lands in southern Colorado, and the valleys and 
mesas of the western slope. For all sections combined the average pro- 
ductions per acre is estimated by the most careful statisticians as follows: 
Wheat, 22 bushels; oats, 45; rye, 35; potatoes, 150; corn, 35. It must be 
remembered that in some large areas the average all-around is greatly in 
excess of these figures. The capabilities of Colorado soil, when properly 
cultivated, have been fully tested by annual experiments at the State Agri- 
cultural College. The maximum results have been as follows: Wheat, 91 
bushels, field crop; largest yield of rye, 52 bushels; oats, 102 bushels; pota- 
toes, over 400 bushels to the acre; barley, 72 bushels; corn (shelled) has 
been made to yield 67 bushels. 

The grasses, both tame and wild, have been the most important of all 
stock foods. The tame grasses are successfully grown, make large yields 
of very nutritious hay, and nearly double in valuable aluminoids, when 
compared with the same grasses in rainy sections. Timothy, orchard and 
blue grass make two crops a year, producing one, one and a half and two 
tons to the acre. 

The clovers are among the best forage plants. They have a healthy 
growth always and make two and three crops a year. 

Alfalfa now leads all agricultural products in Colorado in acreage, 
tonnage and value of product. It is fast taking the place of all other hay- 
making plants, and is so fast encroaching upon the domain of wheat that 
there is annually a perceptable decrease in the yield of that cereal. The 
growth of alfalfa is enormous. No forage plant is known to equal it. It is 
relished by all kinds of stock, and cattle, horses, sheep and hogs thrive 
upon it as tipon no other feed ever given them in this country. Having 
once a good stand, it tenaciously defies all effort to eradicate it. It throws- 
down a strong top root, which, when it finds moisture, has the ability to with- 
stand the severest drouth. For hay, it is remarkably prolific, making three 
aud sometimes four cuttings during the season. The yield varies from one 
and a half to two tons per cutting, with three to four cuttings per year. On 
some lands the average is higher. When fed with roots and grain, it is 
the finest of all beef-producing feed. For milch cows, it is superior to all 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 9;^ 

grasses or clovers. One stockman having an ordinary crop of alfalfa claims 
to have pastured 3,000 sheep the year round on 300 acres — 10 sheep per 
acre — that the sheep sheared from 10 to 12 pounds of wool, worth 20 cents; 
deducting all expense of herding, loss of lambs, rent, etc., and adding 
lambs, each sheep paid a profit of ^2.50 per acre. For horses, on the farm, 
alfalfa is the best hay. It produces no heaves, no derangement of the 
digestive organs. Hogs grow rapidly and fatten when turned in upon an 
alfalfa pasture. 

The cultivation of alfalfa is causing a revolution in the agricultural enter- 
prise of the entire State and making a change in every department of the 
live stock business. The effect at present is to lessen the average in general 
agriculture proportionately to the number of farms and enhance profits in 
the life stock industry. In the first case a large proportion of the lands hither- 
to devoted to wheat has in the past two years been given to alfalfa. In the 
present year (1S89), entire farms have been thus transformed. The same 
may be said of other cereals and farm products, though in a less measure. In 
regard to wheat there is a two-fold reason for this change. Continued use of 
the ground and a lack of fertilizers has caused a falling off in many instances 
of 333^3 per cent, in the yield. The second reason is the greater immediate 
profit from alfalfa by feeding it to cattle. This is the main reason for the 
great increase in its culture, and this accounts in a large measure for the 
revolution which is going on in the life stock industry, which for the past 
three years has been steadily withdrawing cattle from the ranges and placing 
them upon the farms, and it is the main support of the new branch of the 
industry which has of late years prompted the reproduction of the fine 
breeds of cattle in Colorado. Correspondingly it has also improved the 
sheep and wool growing industry, producing more sheep and finer wool. 

In iSSothe total production of alfalfa in Colorado was 1,000 tons, valued 
at $12 to ^15 per ton. 

In 1888 the crop of alfalfa was of greater value than that of all the cereal 
crops combined. The alfalfa crop of that year covered 250,000 acres, and 
the production was estimated at over 1,000,000 tons. The acreage for 1889 
assures a crop of 3,000,000 tons. 

Unlike all other agricultural products of Colorado, all the alfalfa raised 
is kept in the State. It is fed to the cattle, sheep and swine, and ultimately 
reaches the general market in the nature of beef, mutton, pork and wool. 

It also serves another valuable purpose. It is the finest honey producer 
known in the world. With the alfalfa fields to feed upon, the increase in 
apiary products has been enormous. The bee keepers of Colorado produce 
annually half a million povmds of honey of the finest and most delicious 
quality. 

The question of irrigation in its relation to agriculture comprehends 
the future possibilities of the industry in Colorado, and this is one of the 
great problems of the near future. When the day of necessity comes there 
will be no difl&culty about the solution of the problem. The plains and the 
valleys are dependent upon the mountains for their supply of water. The 



24 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

mountains depend upon the elements. The elements have a world of 
resource and they are never failing in their bounty. At present the supply 
of water is measured by the facilities for obtaining it, and both facility and 
supply are barely equal to the demand. To accommodate the increase of 
population at present the elements lend their aid to the methods of irriga- 
tion by watering a large portion of the plains. The future will demand a 
great increase of the water supply. Generous nature and the ingenuity of 
man may be relied upon to furnish all that is needed. 

For the benefit of the immigrant and for those seeking locations it is 
only necessary to add this summary of facts: All the lands of Colorado 
not forming the mountains themselves, possess a fertile soil; all lands 
accessible to water are richly productive; there are millions of acres of un- 
occupied Government and State lands available for agriculture by irriga- 
tion; there are millions of acres within the "rain belt" region, which are 
being rapidly taken and settled upon; there are thousands of claims already 
converted into farms which are obtainable to the new settler. In a word, 
the agricultural lands of Colorado offer the opportunity of homes and for- 
tunes to many hundreds of thousands of people who are destined at no dis- 
tant day of the future to take their places in this broad, frmitful field of 
industry. 



IRRIGATION. 



EIGHT principal rivers and their countless tributaries, having their 
source in the mountains, form the water supply of Colorado. These 
streams have their origin in the central portion of the State, flowing 
east across the plains, northward through the parks and mountain 
parses, south and west through the rocky caiions and down the broad, fer- 
tile valleys in their comrse to the sea. Their tributaries are the numerous 
creeks and springs which, starting in little rivulets from the snow banks at 
lofty altitudes, or percolating the rocks from miniature lakes lying between 
the peaks, ripple down the steep inclines, uniting their forces in the 
valleys below. These rivers are the Arkansas, the South Platte, the Rio 
Grande, the San Juan, the Gunnison, the White, the Yampa and the Grand. 
Of other important streams bearing the name of rivers there are twent}- or 
more flowing through the State. All are important in their uses for irriga- 
tion, for water power and as a general source of water supply. Nearly all 
the larger streams flow through agricultural sections and become the chief 
sources of water suppl}^ to the farms. 

Under the laws of the State which provide for the equable distribution 
of water for irrigation purposes, Colorado is apportioned into five water 
divisions, each of which embraces one of the main streams and its tribu- 
taries. Each water division is under the control of a Superintendent of 
Irrigation. Each water division is subdivided into water districts and each 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 25 

water district is provided with a Water Commissioner. It is the duty of the 
Water Commissioners and the Superintendents of Irrigation, who are under 
the general supervision of the State Engineer, to distribiate the water of the 
natural streams to the irrigating ditches and reservoirs in accordance with 
the priority of right to the use of the water, as established by the District 
Courts of the State. 

A recent estimate, made by the State Engineer, places the areas of irri- 
gable land in the State at 34,560,000 acres, divided as follows: 



San Luis Valley 

Southwestern Colorado 

Western Colorado, (Grand River valley) 

Western Central Colorado, (the Gunnison and Uncom- 

pahgre valleys, etc) 

Northwestern Colorado, (valleys of the Yampa, White 

and other rivers) 

North Central Colorado, (valleys of Upper Grand, North 

Platte and other streams) 

Central Colorado, (Grand Parks, Upper Arkansas, etc). 

In sundry small areas " " 

East of the mountains 41 

Total 54,000 

It would be misleading to say that this entire area of 34,560,000 acres 
is accessible to irrigation. The land is accessible, provided the water and facil- 
ities are sufficient. This is the vital question upon which for the most part 
depends the future advancement of argriculture in Colorado. It is the 
opinion of the leading civil engineers of the West that, by a system of 
winter storage of water in reservoirs, the larger part of these great arid 
areas can be reclaimed as agricultural land. The most reliable official esti- 
mates place the aggregate length of irrigating canals and ditches in the 
State at 6,000 to 7,000 miles. These ditches, large and small, are numbered 
by the thousands, and if the entire system, as it now is, was amply provided 
with water, it would irrigate many millions of acres. Of this vast area of 
arable lands, 1,500,000 acres were under cultivation in 1888. These lands 
were divided among the different products, as follows: 

PRODUCTS. ACRES. 

Wheat 165,000 

Corn 226,000 

Alfalfa 250,000 

Vegetables, grasses and other farm pn^ducts 859,000 



SQUARE 


ACRES. 






3 J 096 


1,981,440 


i,oSo 


691,200 


360 


230,400 


720 


460,800 


i,g8o 


1,267,200 


576 


368,640 


720 


460,800 


3,600 


2,304,000 


41,868 


26,795,520 


54,000 


34,560,000 



Total 1,500,000 

The acreage of cultivated lands in 1889 was largely increased by 
numerous settlements in the "rain belt" of eastern Colorado, and by the 
addition of many large canals and ditches to the irrigation systems of the 
State. The area of cultivated land is thus variously estimated at 1,700,000 
to 2,000,000 acres. 

As it is an established fact that the possibilities of agriculture in Colo- 
rado are only limited by the water supplj-, it remains only for the genius of 
these enterprising, progressive western people to devise the means of bring- 
4 



26 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

ing all the water required and at the time when most needed from the 
streams and natural reservoirs of the mountains to irrigate the desert waste. 
At present the facilities for bringing the water to the farming sections are 
ample, but the supply of water in future must depend largely upon econom- 
ical methods of storage and distribution. This problem is now receiving 
the serious consideration of the Government in behalf of all the arid region 
of the West, and the people of Colorado are actively engaged in devising 
the means for its practical solution. In the meantime it must be remem- 
bered that with the large bodies of land now under these irrigating ditches, 
and with the great rain belt region of eastern Colorado — an area of about 
16,000 square miles, over one-seventh of the entire area of the State — there 
will be a surplus of agricultural land immediately available to the immi- 
grant farmer for many years to come. Thousands of miles of new irrigat- 
ing canals varying in size and length have been constructed during the past 
three years. These canals ramify great tracts of the most fertile but less 
populated parts of the State. They have been constructed in anticipation 
of the population which is now moving steadily w^estward and into the 
State. The settlements that are being made in these new parts are of a 
permanent character, and everywhere the great fields of grain spreading 
out over the plains, and the many new towns and villages that spring up in 
every new center of popvilation give the unmistakable evidences of pros- 
perity. 

The same conditions with reference to new settlement exist in ea.stern 
Colorado, where the lands are watered exclusively by rainfall. Large agricul- 
tural communities and thriving towns with their institutions and their in- 
dustries have become numerous within the past three or four years, and the 
present year is especially marked with the increase of people and with suc- 
cess in their enterprising undertakings. 

The advantages of irrigation to the husbandman are manifold. In 
the first place, he can raise wheat, oats, rye, barley, grasses, clover and 
corn every year, without a failure, as cheaply and abundantly as in any 
other State or section. All the vegetables grow luxuriantly and seldom fail 
to make large crops, which find ready market at paying prices. His land, 
unlike that in most States, needs, as yet, but little if any fertilizers where he 
observes a thorough system of rotatives. Being strong mineral, underlaid 
with clay generally, his soil endures cropping for a long period without any 
apparent diminution of fertility. The yearly change of crops keeps it in a 
healthy and productive condition. In the second place, he has entire con- 
trol of the making of his crops after germination, inasmuch as when they 
need water, all he has to do is to apply it, and when wet enough he can keep 
it off. The artificial application of water to growing crops always secures 
average yields every season, and that yield is always superior in quality. No 
crop is burnt up by continued drought, and none destroyed by heavy rains 
and excessive moisture. The farmer regulates these by a knowledge obtained 
from the study of his crops. In the third place his grains, grasses and vegeta- 
bles are superior in quality in not having too much, but just enough moisture 
at times when thej^ most need it. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 07 

For the benefit of those who, living remote from the arid regions, have 
never witnessed the operations of irrigation, a brief description of the 
method is given, and it may suffice to convey a general idea merely of this 
plan of distributing water through the fields: 

A large ditch or canal conveys water from one of the mountain streams^ 
stretching out for many miles upon the plains, often winding its way around 
and over the intervening hills till it reaches the distant fields. Leading 
from this main ditch at intervals as frequent as there are farms to irrigate, 
are laterals, or smaller ditches, which are made to run along beside the 
farms on the upper side of the incline. From these first laterals still other 
laterals are made to run into and across the fields, and leading from these a 
number of furrows are made through the fields with a plow. By these 
channels the water is made to flow through the land. The water turned 
from the main canal into the first lateral, thence into the second, and thus. 
into the furrows, which may be 20 or even 50 feet apart, soaks the ground 
till the desired moisture is obtained. This is irrigation. B}- a S5'stem of 
gates and gauges at the head of the laterals, the water is measured, as re- 
quired by law ; any required amount may be obtained. The furrows which 
distribute the water are run in such direction, required by the lay of the 
land, as will give them only a slight descent. A hoe or shovel full or earth 
thrown into the furrows at their entrance, keeps them closed. When the 
land needs water, the little gate or sliding board at the canal is raised as 
far as needed to let in the required amount of water. This is raised or low- 
ered as the case may be necessary in the course of irrigating a field. The 
larger furrow, or second lateral, being filled with water, the irrigator opens, 
the upper ends of the little furrows by taking out a shovel full of earth. 
The little furrows then become filled. The water seeping through or run- 
ning over the sides, gently trickles along over the surface and soaks into the 
ground. Flowing thus from each side, the waters soon unite between the 
furrows and thus the moisture becomes uniform and general. If it is de- 
sired, the farmer may remove all obstructions and b}^ clipping off a bit of 
dirt at intervals from the sides of the furrows, flood his laud till the water 
will everywhere cover the siirface. In this way he can, in an hour or two, 
give an entire farm what would be equal to a heav}', soaking rain. This 
may be done so deeply that the growing crop may flourish through the 
hottest season without another irrigation. These floodings are often given 
about the heading out time, and the result is the production of heavier, 
more perfect grain. 

One fact in connection with irrigation is particularly worthy of note. 
The longer a field is cultivated by irrigation the less water it needs from 
year to year, because of retained moisture in the ground several feet below 
the surface. Thus the roots of the growing crops are continually fed by 
evaporation. 

The amount of water used per acre during a season varies slightly, 
according to the nature of the soil and the lay of the land. By the econom- 
ical use of water it is estimated that the amount required will not exceed 
fifty cubic feet per acre, but by its extravagant and careless use the average 



28 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

runs mucli higher, many persons using seventy-five to one hundred cubic 
feet, where a much less amount would be sufiicient and more beneficial. 

The annual cost of putting water on the land is from I1.50 to $2 per 
acre, which includes needed repairs of ditch and cost of water; therefore a 
farmer in one of the Eastern States who raises about one good crop in three 
could well afford to sacrifice his Eastern property for a farm in Colorado, 
where by the inexpensive system of irrigation the crops are never failing. 
The certainty of raising a crop makes irrigation a reliable method; moisture 
is applied just when and where needed, and will insure a harvest generally 
far above the average where Nature is depended upon; in fact, the mountain 
farmer can calculate almost to a certainty the number of bushels per acre 
his harvest will bring. Not only this, but it has been demonstrated that the 
water secured from the high mountains contains a natural fertilizer peculiar 
to itself, which constantly enriches the soil, rendering the ordinary fertilizer 
unnecessary to a great extent. The quality of grain, vegetables and fruit 
produced by this system of farming is acknowledged to be superior, and the 
average yield per acre is better, than in the "rainy States." 



GOVERNMENT LANDS. 



COLORADO contains 66,880,000 acres. It is estimated that one-half of 
this area is agricultural land. This estimate includes all plains land 
on the eastern side, upland valleys throughout the mountain system, 
and the parks, the mesas and the lower valleys of the western slope. 
Inasmuch as all the lower lands of Colorado which do not really form a 
part of the mountains possess fertile soils, which are made productive when- 
ever sufficient water can be obtained, this estimate is not an exaggeration. 
But it is not designed to convey the idea that all this vast area is actually 
available as agricultural land. Within this great territory there are waste 
lands and lands denominated as grazing, which together would aggreate 
millions of acres. For all such lands 5,000,000 acres would be a fair esti- 
mate. Add to this amount 10,000,000 acres which are now assessable by the 
State, and deduct the total of 15,000,000 acres from the alleged 34,000,000 
acres of agricultural land, and there is left a total of 19,000,000 acres of un- 
claimed land subject to pre-emption and homestead entry. 

There are ten government land districts in Colorado. These districts 
are practically divided into three departments — agricultural, coal and min- 
eral lands. The land offices of the respective districts are at. Central City, 
in Gilpin county; Del Norte, in Rio Grande county; Denver, in Arapahoe 
county; Durango, in La Plata county; Glenwood Springs, in Garfield 
county; Gunnison, in Gunnison county; Lake City, in Hinsdale county; 
Lamar, in Prowers county; Leadville, in Lake county, and Pueblo, in 
Pueblo county. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 9() 

The agricultural lands open to settlement are mainly embraced in the 
following districts: Denver district, composed of the counties of Arapahoe, 
Weld, Washington, L,ogan, Lincoln, Sedgwick, Phillips, Grand, Larimer, 
Douglas, Elbert, Kiowa and Jefferson. These counties form the northeast- 
ern part of the State, famous for its fertile soil and rich agricultural pro- 
ducts. 

The Pueblo and Lamar districts combined embrace El Paso, Bent, 
Pueblo, Custer, Huerfano, Las Animas, Fremont, Otero, Prowers, Baca and 
Kit Carson counties. These counties comprise the southern, middle and 
southeastern counties east of the continental divide, the latter part includ- 
ing the great agricultural area along the valley of the Arkansas and its 
tributar)- streams, together with a large proportion of the rain-belt area of 
Eastern Colorado. 

The Del Norte district, in Southern Colorado, embraces that splendid 
agricultural section of Southern Colorado which is so appropriately called 
the " Paradise of the farmer," San Luis Park, which stretches out a distance 
two hundred miles long by from forty to seventy miles wide, and lies 
between the mountains in the charming valleys of the Rio Grande, La Jara, 
Culebra, Conejos, Alamosa rivers and other smaller streams, from which the 
land is abundantly watered. 

The Durango district comprises all the fine agricultural lands that 
spread out in great areas along the Las Animas, the La Plata, the Dolores 
and the Mancos rivers, in the southwestern part of the State, which is 
equally distributed between mining, agriculture and grazing. 

The Gunnison district embraces a large mining country and includes 
the fertile agricultural valleys of the Gunnison and lesser streams. 

The Montrose district embraces the mesa and rich valley lands of the 
western slope in Montrose, Mesa and Delta counties; richly productive of 
fruit and agricultural products. 

The Gleuwood district includes the coal and mineral regions and the 
broad, fertile parks and valleys of the great northwestern corner of the State, 
upon the western slope. In all these districts there are vast areas of un claimed 
government lands, a great proportion of which are well supplied with 
water, rich in soil and abundantly productive, awaiting only the day when 
the enterprising immigrant will come and settle upon them. Each district 
has its separate advantages and different attractions, but each and all pos- 
sess an equality of fertile soil, a delightful climate and every convenient 
facility for the pursuit of the farmer in all the branches of that industry. 
These lands are everywhere being rapidly pre-empted, but there will still 
remain millions of acres for occupancj' fgr many years to come. 

During the year i88S the number of acres occupied by entries of all kinds 
in the several land districts was 2,630,026; of these entries 9,157 acres in min- 
eral lands were taken, 8,128 of coal lands and 2,613,741 acres of agricultural 
lands. The same rate of settlement by pre-emption and homestead prevails 
to this date of 1889. 



30 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

There is ever^'^ reasonable inducement to the western immigrant seeking 
iomestead to come to Colorado. Wherever the land is sufficiently watered 
"by rainfall or irrigation he may establish a home almost without cost for the 
land, and if he be prepared for immediate operations, raise an abundant crop 
the first year of his residence. The three prime causes of the numerous settle- 
ments which have been made during the last three years were the great ex- 
tension of irrigating canals in the northern and southern portions of the 
State, the bountiful crops of fruit and grains on the western slope, and the 
fame of successful agriculture in the eastern portion without irrigation. 
There could not possibly be a greater attraction for people who have a knowl- 
edge of the State and the foresight to grasp the grand opportunity. Millions 
of acres of the richest kind of land, already cleared, watered and ready for 
the plow at f 1.25 an acre, or if the settler choose he may purchase railroad 
land at $2.25 per acre, or land in the possession of the land and cattle com- 
panies, or the irrigating companies, at a mere nominal price compared with 
its real value, with clear title and immediate possession, avoiding the tedious 
delay of making final proof. It is characteristic of Colorado that all reason- 
able assistance is given the new-comer in the aafricultural settlements. 



HOW TO OBTAIN GOVERNMENT LAND. 



4 GRTCULTURAL lands owned by the General Government are divided 

/\ into two classes — one at fi.25 per acre, designated as minimum, 

I \ lying outside of railroad land limits; the other at |;2.5o per acre, as 

double minimum, lying within railroad limits. Titles to these are 

obtained by ordinary ' ' private entry, ' ' and in virtue of the pre-emption, 

homestead and timber culture laws. Purchases at public sale are made 

when lands are "ofi"ered " at public auction. 

Pre-emptions. — Heads of families, widows or single persons (male or 
female), over the age of twenty- one years, citizens of the United States or 
who have declared their intention to become such, under the naturalization 
laws, may enter upon any "offered" or "uuoffered" lands, or any unsur- 
veyed lands to which the Indian title has been extinguished, and purchase 
not exceeding 160 acres under pre-emption laws. A fee of $2, is required 
within thirty days after making settlement, and within one year actual res- 
idence and cultivation of the tract must be shown, whereupon the pre- 
emptor is entitled to pvu-chase the same at I1.25 per acre, if outside of rail- 
road land limits, and at $2.50 per acre if within the railroad land limits. A 
pre-emptor may submit proofs of residence at any time after six months, 
and obtain title to his land. At anytime before expiration of time allowed 
for proof and payment, the settler may convert his pre-emption claim into 
a homestead. No person who abandons his residence upon land of his own 
to reside upon public lands in the same State or Territory, or who owns 320 
acres of land in the same State or Territory, is entitled to the benefits of the 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 3I 

pre-emption laws. The latter provision does not apply to a house and lot 
in town. 

HoiiESTEADS. — Any person who is the head of a family, or who has 
arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States, 
or has filed his declaration of intention to become such, is entitled to enter 
one-quarter section, or less quantity of unappropriated public land, under 
the homestead laws. The applicant must make affidavit that he is entitled 
to the privileges of the homestead act, and that the entry is made for his 
exclusive use and benefit, and for actual settlement and cultivation, and 
must pay the legal fee and that part of the commissions required, as fol- 
lows : Fee for 160 acres, $10, commission, ^6; fee for 80 acres, $5, commis- 
sion, I4. Within six months the homesteader must take up his residence 
upon the land, and reside thereupon, and cultivate the same for five years 
continuously. At the expiration of this period, or within two years there- 
after, proof of residence and cultivation must be established by four wit- 
nesses. The proof of settlement and certificate of the register of the land 
ofiice is forwarded to the general land office at Washington, from which 
patent is issued. Final proof cannot be made until the expiration of five 
years from the date of entry, and must be made within seven j^ears. The 
Government recognizes no sale of a homestead claim. A settler may prove 
his residence at any time after six months, and purchase the land under the 
pre-emption laws, if desired. The law allows but one homestead privilege 
to any one person. 

Soldiers' Homesteads. — Every person who served not less than 
ninety daj-s in the army or navy of the United States during the "recent 
Rebellion," who was honorably discharged and has remained loyal to the 
Government, maj- enter a homestead, and the time of his service shall be 
deducted from the period of five years, provided that the party shall reside 
upon and cultivate his homestead at least one year after he commences 
improvements. The widow of a soldier, or, if she be dead, or married again, 
the minor heirs (if any), ma}-, through their guardian, make a homestead 
entry; and if the soldier died in the service, the whole term of his enlist- 
ment will be credited upon the terms of required residence. Soldiers and 
sailors, as above, may file a homestead declaratory statement for 160 acres 
of land through an agent, after which they have six months in which to file 
their homestead. This latter entry must be made in person. 

Tree Claims. — Under the timber culture laws not more than 160 acres 
on au}^ one section entirely devoid of timber can be entered, and no person 
can make more than one entry thereunder. The qualifications of applicants 
are the same as under the pre-emption and homestead laws. Land office 
charges are $14 for 160 acres, or more than 80 acres, when entry is made, 
and ^4 at final proof. L,and to be entered must be entirely void of timber. 
Party making entry of 160 acres is required to break or plow five acres dur- 
ing the first year and five acres during the second year. The five acres 
broken or plowed during the first year must be cultivated during the second 
year, and be planted to timber during the third year. The five acres broken 
or plowed during the second year must be cultivated the third year, and 



32 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

planted to timber the fourth year. For entries of less than i6o acres, a pro- 
portionate number of acres must be planted to trees. These trees must be 
cultivated and protected, and at the end of eight 3'ears, or within two years 
after that period, proof by two credible witnesses must be adduced, showing 
that there were at the end of eight years at least 675 living, thrifty trees on 
each of the ten acres required to be planted; also, that not less than 2,700 
trees were planted to each of the ten acres. Fruit trees are not considered 
timber within the meaning of this act. Having complied with the terms of 
the law, and made satisfactory proof of same, the settler receives a patent 
for the land. Title can not be obtained prior to the expiration of eight years 
and final proof must be made within ten years. 



STATE SCHOOL LANDS. 



THF State L,and Department is one of the most important branches of 
the State government, growing in a few years, under the superinten- 
dency of Register A. Sagendorf, from a modest, unassuming office to 
a bureau employing a skilled force of clerical aid. The State now 
owns about 3,000,000 acres of school land and 385,377 acres belonging to 
the other grants. Of the lands about to be acquired on account of indem- 
nity, amounting to over 600,000 acres, at least 400,000 will, within the next 
five years, be brought under irrigation, and for productiveness will rank 
among the best in the State. A large share of these indemnity lands will 
be located in the Arkansas Valley and on the tributaries to that stream; 
hence, the climatic conditions will prove of material advantage to settlers. 
The amendment to the land laws enacted by the late General Assembly, 
affecting the terms upon which our lands will hereafter be sold, renders it 
possible for settlers to establish homes upon State lands on a very small 
investment. It reads as follows: " On lands selling for three dollars and 
fifty cents ($3.50) to twenty-five dollars ($25) per acre, ten per cent, of the 
purchase money on the day of sale, the balance in eighteen equal annual 
payments at six per cent, per annum. Lands selling at more than twenty- 
five dollars {$25), and less than seventy-five dollars t|i75) per acre, twenty 
percent, cash on day of sale,the balance in fourteen equal annual payments 
at seven per cent, per annum," etc. Under this provision of law, a quarter 
section of land at $3.00 per acre would amount to |i56o. Of this amount, 
ten per cent, in cash would amount to $56, and, annually thereafter, ^28 
with the interest at six per cent, on the amount remaining in deferred pay- 
ments after each payment made. The character of the people who have 
settled upon these lands are thrifty, attracted hither by the climatic condi- 
tions and the growing property of the State at large. Much has already 
been said in reference to the agricultural and horticultural possibilities of 
Colorado, and it may be only necessary to add that the generous action of 
the State will doubtless aid in an increased impetus to the swelling tide of 
immigration. The last State census shows that the number of farms in the 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 33 

State at the eud of 1S84 was 8,474, an increase of SB and 6-10 per cent, over 
1880. In the absence of census statistics for 1888, but based on estimates 
from most reliable sources, the number of farms now in the State is 20,000, 
and the products, in bulk and value, proportionately heavy. The lands to 
which the attention of prospective settlers is directed are now leased and 
the rentals yearly apportioned among the districts of the vState for the bene- 
fit of the public schools. But the laws are such, that possession is easily 
acquired to any person making settlement. The bulk of these lands is sus- 
ceptible of irrigation, and, after being placed under ditch, becomes the most 
desirable land for agricultural purposes. Settlers will find no hardships' 
upon arriving in Colorado. The State, in almost every direction, is thickly 
settled and a feeling of hospitality is entertained for all new-comers. The 
lands belonging to the State are under the control of the State board of 
land commissioners, composed of the executive ofiicers of the State. The 
register of the board has his ofiice at Denver. / 



THE LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY. 



CATTLE. 

THE live stock industrj- of Colorado is undergoing a change which gives 
it a new phase with each succeeding year. This change is that of a 
stead}' improvement in the several branches of the business. With 
reference to cattle raising it means a revolution in methods and re- 
sults. As to all other animals it means both an increase and an improve- 
ment. The history of cattle raising in Colorado dates from the time of the 
first gold discoveries in 1859. Until five years ago, or a less time, it was the 
second industry in the State in point of magnitude and profit. It is still one 
of the leading industries of Colorado, and stands at the head of the live 
stock interests of the State. The change which has recently taken pl^ce in 
the cattle business of Colorado is that of a transfer of the herds from the 
great ranges to the smaller ranches and farms, and in numerical strength it 
cannot be claimed that the business is at present progressive. This change 
is due mainly to the encroachment of agricultural settlements upon the 
public lands, once the broad and undisputed domain of the cattleman. 
Four years prior to 1888 it was estimated that there were a million cattle 
upon the ranges and half a million on the farms. 

Within these four years man}' of the range cattlemen have reduced 
their herds or abandoned the business, and now the reports from oflficial 
sources show that there are 1,000,000 cattle on the farms and 500,000 on the 
ranges. For a number of years there has been no increase in the number 
of cattle in the State, and while the estimated number stands year after 
year at 1,500,000 head, conservative cattlemen claim that there is a gradual 
decrease, and the figure given is only an approximate with the probability 
of a less number. This fact is not regarded as a detriment to the State or a 



34 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

disparagement of the industiy. On the contrary, it is indicative of a better 
condition, resulting from the change of methods. The withdrawal of cattle 
from the range has taken a great part of the business from the few and 
placed it in the hands of the many, and the great herds have been divided 
into smaller ones and thus distributed among the farms throughout the 
State, while vast areas of the public lands, which formerly embraced the 
wide possession of the cattle baron, have been settled upon by large com- 
munities of immigrant farmers who have combined the business of cattle 
raising with that of agriculture. 

The movement is toward a combination of the agricultural and stock 
raising interests, similar in many respects to the methods of the Middle States. 
That is, the Colorado farmer, like the farmer of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, 
Ohio and Kentucky, or like the farmer of any State in the Union of crowded 
population, has adopted the plan of a general farm. Formerl}^ all the grain 
was taken to the market or the mill, and the grasses shipped in bales of hay 
to the centers of population. Now a great proportion of the cereals and the 
hay are kept upon the farm for the benefit of the domestic animals, which 
have been compelled to earn a precarious living by grazing upon the little 
brown tufts of buffalo grass. Under the present arrangement the farmer 
devotes a certain portion of his land to cereals, grasses and fruits; the rest is 
apportioned in pasture lands for his cattle, pigs, sheep and horses. His wheat 
finds a ready sale in the markets, but the greater part of his corn, oats and 
hay are fed to the stock in winter. By this method the farmers of Colorado 
have learned how to make a gratifying profit upon both their life stock and 
their agricultural products. 

Under the new system there is a general movement toward the breed- 
ing of improved stock, and provision is made for the protection of the herds 
through the winter and for feeding during the months when the grazing 
grounds have ceased to yield succulent food. 

Chief among the advantages which the farmers of Colorado have to- 
day in the successful raising of cattle and stock of all kinds, is the cultiva- 
tion of alfalfa, the king of all hay-making clovers, and the finest feed in 
the world, whether in pasture or hay. This clover grows enormousl}^ in 
Colorado, and is eaten freely by all ruminating animals ; it is more nutri- 
tious than any known grass or clover ; is more prolific in its growth and 
yields a larger return to the farmer, whether fed to his stock or sold as hay, 
than any crop yet grown in the West. 

This new element in agriculture has entered so largely into the live 
stock industry of the State that its cultivation will promote cattle growing 
in the futm-e more than all other conditions combined. Wherever the land 
can be irrigated alfalfa can be grown abundantly, and wherever it is grown 
cattle can be increased and their quality improved. 

Still another important change has taken place which promises great 
things for the future. The introduction at various times within the past ten 
years of imported breeds of cattle as a distinct branch of the business began 
with the settlement of farmers upon the more desirable ranges; but now, chiefly 
upon the stock and agricultural farms there has been a decided advance in 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 35 

the reproduction of thoroughbred cattle by the importation of Devons, Her- 
efords, Jerseys, Holsteins, Polled Angus, Gallowaj'S and a few Swiss and 
Ayklins. While there are manj^ good results in the line of thoroughbred 
reproduction, it is the design of the cattle raisers to amalgamate by the 
admixture of finer blood with the native and the Texas animal. For this 
purpose the most successful cattlemen recommend a cross betwen the Short- 
Horn or the Polled Angus with the Texan, and it is claimed that the best 
possible product for profitable raising is the calf from a vShort-Horn bull and 
a Texas cow. 

In this connection, it is worthy of note that there is no encouragement 
in Colorado for the sale of bulls at fancy prices. In the course of reproduc- 
tion for a series of years the cattlemen at home have reared a superior class 
of thoroughbred animals that rival the imported fancy stock, and are just as 
good for all practical piirposes as the bulls of renowned pedigree and enor- 
mous prices. Such animals of native breed can easily be purchased in Col- 
orado for I75 to ^125 and, in some rare instances they are sold as high as 
11,000. 

To summarize the present advantages to the cattle grower, as compared 
with the range business of the past, there is immunit}^ from loss by the rig- 
ors of winter, and the permanent establishment of the industry on a higher 
plane for the production of finer cattle, belter beef and more profitable 
returns upon the capital and labor invested. 

It must not be inferred that the change which is taking place with refer- 
ence to cattle, threatens the imminent destruction of the range business ; 
such a change will only come when the plain lands are generally taken up 
by actual settlement. There are many millions of acres of unclaimed Gov- 
erniuent lands, embracing the ranges on the eastern side of the mountains 
and many millions of acres on the western slope, where the great herds 
may roam and browse and fatten, increasing in numbers and enriching 
their owners for a generation to come. The cattle on the ranges are being 
improved from year to year by methods similar to those of the farmers. 
Pure bred, high grade bulls are turned loose upon the ranges, and the result 
is seen in the improvement in size and quality of the cattle. 

For the benefit of those who may desire to enter into the cattle business 
of Colorado, there is this simple suggestion: Any person who can purchase 
a dozen head of cattle, can, in time, become the owner of a great herd. 
Some of the wealthiest cattle kings in Colorado, began as cowboys, having 
nothing in the start but cowboy's wages. With these wages they bought 
cattle from their employers. In the course of time by additional purchases 
and by breeding, their herds grew large in numbers and the owners became 
rich. These are among the many opportunities open at all times to new 
settlers. 



3 ft COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

SHEEP AND WOOL. 

Colorado possesses all the natural advantages desirable for sheep 
raising, and the conditions for their increase and improvement are sim- 
ilar in most respects to those which apply to cattle. In former 3'ears 
the flocks were maintained almost entirely upon the ranges, and, owing 
to the lack of grazing in winter, the business was hazardous and often 
attended with disaster. But now, all the dangers and disadvantages, 
except such as are everj^where usual, may be averted and there is no indus- 
trv more safe and sure of remunerative returns than that of sheep and wool 
growing in Colorado. 

The introfluction of alfalfa as one of the staple crops, and the many 
improvements which have been made by the farmers favorable to the live 
stock interest, has brought great changes favorable to the sheep and wool 
growing business. Sheep can be raised in all parts of the State, and in 
herds without limit of numbers, but now with great alfalfa pastures and with 
provisions for feeding through excessively cold seasons, the tendency is 
toward smaller flocks and greater care in their keeping. 

The most conservative estimates place the number of sheep in the State 
at from 2,500,000 to 3,000,000. The wool clip of the State for 1888 was over 
9,000,000 pounds, all of whicli was sold in eastern markets. As with the 
cattle business, there is also a tendency to improved breeds of sheep, 
especially for the culture of a superior quality of wool. The animal best 
adapted to this purpose in Colorado, so far as experiments show, are the 
Spanish Merinos, bred from native Mexican ewes. 

In past years, the best conducted flocks of sheep in Colorado have paid 
in wool and mutton, nearly twenty per cent, on the capital invested. It is 
now the opinion of experienced sheep raisers, that with the many additional 
advantages of improved farming, it will be possible to derive not less than 
thirty per cent, from the flocks. To bring about so great a result, it is pre- 
scribed that each flock be restricted in number to not more than 2,000 head, 
and if smaller, the better; that they have the freedom of the pastures 
occasionally during the warm seasons and that they be fed hay and corn 
for about sixty days in winter. If the winter is mild, less feeding would 
suffice. Except for the severe spells of winter weather, which do not often 
occur, there is no country in the world where sheep can take better care of 
themselves, for in these localities, where the greater number of flocks are 
kept, the grass of the hillsides and the lowlands is well preserved all the 
year rouud; the water is always pure and the climate is peculiarly adapted 
to this class of animal. It is well known that there is no sheep growing 
country which possesses so many advantages for cleanliness, and it is possi- 
ble to raise a great herd of sheep either in the mountain valleys or out upon 
the plains, in so cleanly a manner, that when shearing time comes, the wool 
is found clean and white and free from burrs. All these things tend toward 
the perfect healthfuln^ss of the animal, and with such a favorable sanitary 
condition the sheep must grow nearer to perfection, the mutton must be su- 
perior and the wool of a fine quality. In the time before it was not possi- 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 37 

ble to give the sheep proper care, the wool was short aud possessed almost 
a uniform value. Now, the tendency is to longer and softer fibre with 
graded values. 

The average weight of a Colorado sheep is about 100 pounds, ramging 
from 75 to 125. The average clip per capita is 7 pounds. At present prices 
(17 cents), the clip per head is worth |i. 19 ; after the clip, the sheep sold for 
mutton at 3 cents per pound live weight (100 pounds), will bring $3.00, mak- 
ing a total value of $4. 19. Such results can be obtained with little cost for 
their keeping. 

The statement is made that there is room for 25,000,000 sheep in Colo- 
rado, for two good reasons : First — They can be raised anywhere in the 
State where there is water and the territory is ample. Second — Because of 
the geographical situation of Colorado with reference to the wool industry. 
The ofl&cial report for the past two years, show that the annual wool clip of 
the United States is about 100,000,000 pounds. The Rocky Mountain 
country, embracing Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona and Utah, 
produce nearly one-third of the entire amount. Colorado is in the center 
of this region and produces more than one-third of its wool. 

As an industry for future development, every assurance can be given 
that it will be a profitable business for the new settler. It is onh^ proper to 
add the suggestion that with all these advantages to the sheep growing in- 
dustr}', there is not a single woolen goods manufactory in Colorado, an 
enterprise that must inevitably come with the evolution of new industries 
in the future. 

THE HOG. 

This auimal has never been a favorite in Colorado except as he is seen 
hanging against the wall in the market stall, but he nevertheless con- 
tinues to grow in popularity. The hog has not been cultivated for lack 
of mast and corn. But in recent years great plantations of corn have 
been raised and the great king of clovers, alfalfa, has been found to 
be superior to mast and equal to corn in its nutritious quality, with a perfect 
adaptation to the hog. Under such advantages as these, the farmers have 
begun to pay considerable attention to the raising of swine, and it is a very 
profitable business. It has been discovered that the soil, climate and general 
surroundings are exceedingly well adapted to swine culture. The happy 
results of his existence in Colorado clearly disproves the old time theory that 
a hog must have mud and filth to thrive. Here the^ water is clear and cold, 
and the ground uniformly dry and sandy. There is also a very small per 
cent, of decaying vegetable or animal matter. • In almost all respects the pig 
is free from dirt and he must necessarily be given wholesome food. The 
results are that he is a cleanly, healthy animal, easy to raise, easy to fatten, 
and he makes a neat, sweet flavored porker. It was a ver}- notable fact that 
many thousands of hogs were shipped into Colorado in 18S8 for stocking 
purposes. 



38 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

HORSES. 

In recent years it has been discovered that the climate of Colorado 
is exceedingly well adapted to horses, and that they could stand the rigors 
of winter upon the plains much better than cattle. Recent experiences 
prove that the State is finely adapted to the reproduction of the 
equine species, and a great deal of attention is now being paid to this 
branch of the live stock industry, both by the farmers and stockmen. Spe- 
cial attention is paid to the importation of large draught horses for breeding 
purposes, and these horses find a profitable market in Colorado. The breed- 
ing of thoroughbreds has also proved a successful enterprise, and there are 
a number of important stock farms in the State,. while nearly every farmer 
has a more or less number of brood mares, some of them dividing their time 
equally between stock raising and farming. Five years ago the number of 
horses, except those used in the harness, was scarcely to be taken into 
account. Now they number 700,000 head. As is well known, some very 
excellent animals which have graced the turf during the past two or three 
years were natives of Colorado. The country is unexceptionally well adapted 
to horse raising, and it is destined to be one of the many great industries of 
the State. 



THE WORLD'S LARGEST COAL FIELDS. 



"^ TO statement can be made that will convey an adequate impression o 
\ the vast ai-ea of coal lands in the State, and if this area were accu- 
\ rately measured there would still remain the insoluble problem of the 
extent of the strata and quantity of coal. The supply is so enor- 
mous that there is no possibility of estimating or computing it. It may be 
accepted as a simple truth that no calculation that has ever been made in 
the endeavor to arrive at the truth has given an exaggerated total. Official 
geological surveys in the past six years give a coal-bearing strata of 30,000 
square miles. In view of recent discoveries the vState Inspector of Coal 
Mines declares the area to be not less than 40,000 square miles — over one- 
third of the entire area of the State. 

Coal is found, not everywhere, but in every quarter of the State; from 
the foot-hills far out upon the plains to the east; in the middle counties of 
the mpuntains; in the hills and valleys of the western side of the range, 
and in the mountains and plains of the north and south. 

The total production of coal in the State for the year 1888, as reported 
by the State Ins^Dector of Coal Mines, was 2,185,477 tons of 2,000 pounds 
per ton. 

Of the total production 700,574 tons were shipped to points in Texas, 
Kansas and Nebraska; the remainder being consumed, for the most part, in 
Colorado. 

The first coal production in Colorado of which a record has been pre- 
served was in 1873, when the output was 69,977 tons. In 1880 the produc- 
tion was only 375,000 tons. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 39 

COAL PRODUCTION BY COUNTIES— 1888. 

COUNTIES. TONS. 

Las Animas 706,455 

Fremont 438,789 

Boulder 315, i55 

Gunnison 258,374 

Huerfano 159,610 

Garfield 115,000 

La Plata 53,625 

Pitkin 28,113 

Weld 28,054 

El Paso 44,114 

Jefferson 9,000 

Arapahoe 1,700 

Park 46,588 

Douglas 400 

Mesa 300 

Dolores 200 



Total 2,185,477 

The average thickness of the coal seams now being worked throughout 
the vState is 5 feet 5 inches ; the thickest is 14 feet ; and the thinest, i foot 
and 8 inches. 

The average number of persons emplo3'ed, is 5,375. 

Value of state's production for 1888 $4,808,04940 

Average value of coal on cars at the mines, per ton 2 20 

Average price paid to miners, per ton 70 

Average bost of producing coal, on the cars, at the mines, in- 
cluding royaltj-, per ton i 80 

*Price of coal in retail market, 18S8, per ton, soft bituminous. 4 25 

Anthracite, per ton, summer 8 00 

Anthracite, per ton, winter 9 25 

SUMMARY OF COAL PRODUCTION FOR 16 YE.-iRS. 

YEARS. TONS. 

1873 69,977 

1874 87,372 

1875 98,838 

1876 117,666 

1S77 160,000 

187S 200,630 

1879 322,732 

1880 375,000 

1881 706,744 

18S2 1,061,479 

1883 1,229,593 

1884 . 1,130,024 

1885 1,398,796 

1886 1,436,211 

1887 1,791,735 

1SS8 2,185,477 

The large increase of production, as shown in the above table, particu- 
larly since 1880, corresponds with the general development of the State, and 
is due mainly to the increase of population, of new discoveries and the wide- 
spread growth of railway construction. The production during the past year 



♦Prices regulated by mining companies and railroad tariffs. Present prices of soft coal 
in Denver (1SS9), I3 per ton. 



40 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

came from more than fifty mines. Of the total output, 44,791 tons were of 
anthracite for domestic use. The State abounds in the finest of coking coals 
and ranks as the fifth coke producer in the United States. Comparatively 
little of Colorado's vast coal fields is yet put into a productive state. But the 
advent of numerous railways and the great demand for coal in the prairie 
States east, and Texas on the south, must rapidly increase the production. 
With such a vast territory, and a supply so incalculable in its abundance, 
this industry alone will give emplo3'ment to the people for unknown cen- 
turies to come, while it has now made available for the purposes of manu- 
facture the great masses of iron, copper and lead which form so great a part 
of the mineral treasure in the Rocky Mountains. 



THE OIL FIELDS OF COLORADO. 



COLORADO producess its own oil. Petroleum is found in many parts 
of the State. As a result of numerous explorations in recent years, 
it is claimed that there are many undeveloped oil fields in Colorado, 
while it is believed by some who have devoted much time to investi- 
gation in this direction that the area of oil is equal to that of the coal bear- 
ing strata. In corroboration of these theories, indications of oil appear at 
numerous points in the mountains and on the plains, while in such places 
the geological formations are favorable to abundant production. Thus far, 
there is only one well-developed oil field in the State. That there is this 
one only, is due to the fact that there has been no general or determined 
effort in this industry, other resources being more than sufl&cient to engage 
the attention and the capital of the limited population of the State. How- 
ever, this single oil field is a great producer. It is situated at the town of 
Florence, in Fremont county, and embraces twenty-five large producing oil 
wells w^hile others are in process of drilling. This petroleum field was dis- 
covered about seven years ago. Its product has steadily increased from the 
first and is sufficient to supply all of Colorado and many markets 
outside of the State with a fine quality of illuminating oil. The entire yield 
of these wells is refined at Florence. The product of the refineries is about 
forty per cent, of fine illuminant. From the residuum the lubricants are of 
standard value. 

The following figures for 1S88 are officially given as the basis of annual 
production from the twentj'-five wells in operation. 

BARRELS. 

Crude oil 300,000 

Refined oil 140,000 

Greases 160,000 

Highest yield of single well per day 200 

.Sold in Colorado (refined) 70,000 

Shipped to other markets (refined) So, 000 

Sold in Colorado (greases) 87,000 

Shipped to other markets (greases) 53, 000 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES 41 

The Colorado oil is used almost exclusive!}- in the State and it is retailed 
at twenty-five cents per gallon. The lubricants are extensively used for 
machine shops aud rolling stock of railroads. The surplus refined oil is 
sold in Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana and Utah. 

Fine locations of petroleum have recently been made in Huerfano, 
El Paso and Pueblo counties aud the development work thus far gives 
promise of an abundant yield. In other parts of the State, "prospect" 
work is in progress and the oil industry is regarded as one of the great 
resources of the future in Colorado. 



COLOR ADO'vS WEALTH IN BUILDING STONE. 



THE commerce in building and other useful stones is enormous. Sand- 
stones, lime and lava rock abound everywhere from the eastern foot- 
hills to the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. Quarries are 
numerous on every line of railway through the mountains. Marble 
and granite are found in many parts of the State, while the stone bodies are 
measureless and inexhaustible. In one quarry alone, at Colorado City, 
there is a solid body of red sandstone having 156,000,000 cubic feet in sight. 
Neither the owner of this quarry nor his generation can live long enough to 
make a conspicuous impression on this single bed of stone. Such bodies of 
stone can be numbered by the hundreds in the State, and there are scores of 
quarries in operation. 

The stones are of nearly uniform strength and value aud are classified 
as rubble, red sandstone, gray sandstone, pink sandstone, light sandstone, 
light yellow sandstone, lime rock, lava rock, white, pink and variegated 
marble and granite of various hues. Marble is foimd in large bodies in a 
few 'places, while the granite bodies are boundless but not extensively 
developed. 

^These building stones are used' in Colorado to the exchision of all other 
stones and are coming into great demand all over the country. The solidity 
of the stones and their beautiful colors make them desirable everywhere, 
and their transportation has become an important part of railroad traflSc. 
The stone buildings of Colorado cities are uniformly unique and beautiful. 
Large shipments are made to all principal points between Colorado and the 
Mississippi river; south to Texas, and to all the Territories adjoining Colo- 
rado. 

The rapid growth of biiilding in the State, together with the increased 
demand abroad is daily widening the scope of the stone business, which is 
already an industry of great proportions, giving maintenance to thousands 
of people in the State. The wages of quarrymen range from $2.50 to fo.oo 
per day. The price of stone is 60 cents per cubic foot on the car at Colorado 
points, and about 80 cents per cubic foot, including freight, when hauled to 
Missouri river points. 

6 



42 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

FORESTRY. 



THE woodlands of Colorado are not confined entirely to the mountain 
regions. The timber lands comprise 10,630,000 acres, and the more 
useful timbers grow in scattered areas along the mountain sides, in 
the valleys, on the plains, and upon the high, rolling plateaus 
throughout the several ranges of the State. A spur of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, known in Colorado as the north and south divide, or the Arkansas- 
Platte divide, which extends 30 miles into the mid-eastern part of the 
State, is covered with pine, and another timbered tract extends for a short 
distance into Las Animas county on the southeast. Some of the best tim- 
bers are found in the south-western part of the State, in La Plata and 
Archuleta counties, while some of the largest forests exist in the northern 
portion of the State. There is also considerable timber in south-eastern 
Colorado, notably Baca county, where lumbering is made a separate indus- 
try and means of livelihood. 

The most useful timbers for general purposes, are the yellow and white 
pine and the white spruce (called in Colorado the Red spruce). This tim- 
ber is superior to the pines but not so plentiful, and growing at higher alti- 
tudes, is not so accessible. White and yellow pines are the predominant 
species and are used extensively in building. These form the principal 
native building lumbers and enter largely into all kinds of construction. 
While a large proportion of the wooden houses in the smaller towns of 
Colorado, are built entirely of these timbers, their special uses are for the 
frame work of all kinds of building, and it enters largely into the construc- 
tion of brick and stone buildings in the larger cities. Pinon, which grows 
promiscuously, is largely used for fuel and the production of charcoal. 
Cottonwoods, oaks, cherries and other timbers of small growth and little 
value, occup}^ the borders of the small streams. Large areas on the high 
mountains, are covered exclusively with the quaking aspen, which has a 
dense growth, and which generally replaces the coniferous trees where they 
have been destroyed by fire. The small lodge-pole pine occupies a similar 
place in the forestry of Colorado. Small stunted junipers cover the high 
plateaus of southwestern Colorado. 

The foot-hills supply an abundance of small scrubby timbers which are 
used for fuel and fencing material. The lower mountain slopes and the 
south-eastern part of the vState furnish coarse lumber suitable for railroad 
ties, for fuel and for mining purposes. Owing to fires, snow slides, wastefiil 
methods of lumbering, and the enormous draft upon the forests by the 
railroads and mining industry, these timbers have been almost entirely 
consumed, together with a large proportion of the more valuable forests. 
Forest fires are very frequent and destructive in Colorado. In 1880 the 
estimated loss of forests by fires was 113,820 acres. Since that time there 
have been many large fires in the mountains, while the draft upon the 
forests from all the sources named has almost denuded the eastern slope, 
which is among other evils, greatly to the detriment of the water supply^ 
especially to the streams on the eastern side. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 43: 

The lumber cut from the Colorado forests in 18S7, when sawed and pre- 
pared for use, is estimated at 75,000,000 feet; in 1888, 100,000,000 feet; and 
in 1889 a much larger figure is estimated. This great increase is attributa- 
ble mainly to the renewed activity in mining and the enormous growth of 
building during the past two years. Of the 100,000,000 feet cut in 1888 it is 
estimated b^' builders that 50,000,000 feet were used in the new buildings of 
Denver alone. 

Of the evergreens in these mountain forests, twenty-one varieties have 
been counted. Many of the choice varieties have a home market and some 
of them are sold in Eastern States for ornamental purposes. The favorite 
varieties of evergreens are the steel blue, red and Engleman spruces, the 
blue, red and white cedars and junipers. Among the native pines that may 
be mentioned are the yellow and pondorosa varieties, popularly used for 
decorating lawns. Of other trees that grow in Colorado, chiefly as trans- 
plants, are the cottonwood, elm, honey locust, cut-leaf birch, cut-leaf maple, 
pimple-leaf elm, lansel-leaf willow, the Norway sugar maple, the catalpa, 
the kempreri, the linden, the mountain ash, the balm of Gilead, the buffalo 
berr}-, the weeping willow, the black cherrj- and red oak. 



COLORADO'S GREAT RAILWAYS. 



N^O evidence of advancement in Colorado could be more surprising to 
people abroad who are uninformed on the subject than the great 
development of railway systems throughout the State. These lines- 
of steel form a net work over the plains and thread the mountain 
passes in almost every accessible place, pushing their way over lofty moun- 
tain peaks and leading on to every industrial settlement, connecting the 
remotest points of the State with all the main lines of travel in the Union 
and thus with the markets of the world. Colorado has eight main lines of 
railway, which, with their many branches, aggregate a total trackage of 
4,329 miles. 

These railroads in the successive order of their construction are: The 
Union Pacific, with 1,272 miles; the Denver and Rio Grande, with 1,316- 
miles; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, 413 miles; the Denver, Texas 
and Fort Worth, 231 miles; the Burlington and Missouri, 400 miles; the 
Colorado Midland, 252 miles; the Missouri Pacific, 175 miles; the Rock 
Island, 168 miles. 

Three extensions of the Union Pacific railway terminate at Denver, 
namely: The Denver Pacific branch, connecting with the transcontinental 
line at Cheyenne; the Julesburg branch, or the Omaha and Denver short 
line, and the Kansas Pacific division of the Union Pacific, from Kansas 
City to Denver. The branches of this road in the State are the Denver and 
South Park to Leadville, with an extension to Gunnison City; the Colorado 
Central, narrow gauge, to the mining districts of Georgetown, Idaho 



44 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

Springs, Black Hawk and Central; the Colorado Central, broad guage, 
through the agricultural and coal regions of Northern Colorado, and the 
Morrison branch to Morrison. 

The Burlington and Missouri railway passes from Denver through the 
north-eastern portion of Colorado, and thence into Nebraska and Kansas, 
where it connects with the leading, eastern trunk lines dividing trafl&c with 
the Union Pacific and the other east and west trunk terminating lines in 
Colorado. It has one branch in the State, the Denver, Utah and Pacific 
from Denver to Lyons, a distance of 45 miles, where are located the exten- 
sive stone quarries producing the finest flagging and paving stone in the 
State. The 400 miles of thjs system includes the newly constructed road to 
Cheyenne, through the rich rain-belt counties of Sedgwick, Phillips, Logan 
and Weld. 

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway enters Colorado in the 
southeastern part of the State, its southern extension branching off at La 
Junta and connecting with the Atlantic and Pacific at Albuquerque, New- 
Mexico. The main line continues westward to Pueblo and thence to Den- 
ver. It is an important link of communication between Colorado and the 
ruarkets of the East and West. 

The Rock Island railway enters the eastern side of the State, passes 
through a fertile country and terminates at Colorado Springs, its trains 
reaching Denver over the Denver and Rio Grande from that point. 

The Missouri Pacific, from St. Louis and Kansas City, terminates at 
Pueblo, its trains running to Denver via the Denver and Rio Grande rail- 
way. 

The Denver, Texas and Fort Worth railway connects with the Fort Worth 
and Denver City railway at Trinidad, Colorado, and thence southward it is one 
road under the name of the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth till it reaches 
Fort Worth, Texas, where it connects with the main lines of railway lead- 
ing to the seaport cities on the Gulf of Mexico, and to all points of the ex- 
treme south, via New Orleans, giving direct communication between the 
latter city and Denver. The establishment of this line of traffic and travel 
in the spring of 188S, was esteemed by the people of Colorado, as among 
the greatest of railway benefits, as it established a southern outlet for Colo- 
rado products and gave easy access to thtf markets of the Southern ports. 

The Colorado Midland railway is a local enterprise. Starting from 
Colorado Springs westward, coursing its way through the rugged mountains, 
passing under the brow of the famous Pike's Peak, thence running west- 
ward to Leadville and Aspen, it crosses the Continental Divide and drops 
down into the great coal fields of Garfield county, of which Glenwood 
Springs is the capital. Its traflac is confined mainly to the coal and mineral 
mining industries of the sections above named. 

The Denver and Rio Grande railway is in every essential a Colorado 
enterprise, and Colorado is indebted to it for a great part of its prosperity. It 
has been the aim of this railway to reach all the mining districts and other 
centers of industry within the field of its operations. From its main line, 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 45 

north and south, it has deflected to the west and south-west .with its nu- 
merous branches until it has extended itself like a fan over these portions 
of the State. The northern extremity of the Rio Grande is Denver, and 
the southern, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Westward, it extends via Salt Lake 
to Ogden, where it connects with the great railway lines of the Pacific 
Slope. By its various extensions its main stem is connected with Leadville, 
Glenwood Springs and Aspen, Gunnison, Grand Junction and Ouray, Ala- 
mosa, Durango and Silvertou, and many other representative towns in the 
agricultural and coal and mineral mining regions of the State. It is famous, 
as is also the Union Pacific, for the grandeur of its mountain scenery and 
marvelous skillfulness of construction through the difficult defiles of the 
Rocky Mountains. 

Trace the lines of all these railroads, and as they lead from Denver, the 
common center, to all points of the compass and it will be seen that Colo- 
rado is amply pro\'ided with railway facilities, having connection with all the 
lines of railway in the United States, and placing Colorado in easy commu- 
nication with all the great markets of the nations of the world. 



FRUIT CULTURE. 



IT is scarcely known at home ; it will be an incredible statement abroad 
that Colorado is a great fruit growing State ; a close rival of Califor- 
nia in many orchard products, and excelling that state in the excel- 
lence of flavor and keeping qualities. INIost varieties of fruit indige- 
nous to the temperate zone is successfully grown in Colorado. Hitherto 
general fruit growing in Colorado has been regarded as an experiment 
rather than a distinctive industry. But for many years certain varieties 
have had a luxurious growth. Recent developments have given a surprise 
to Colorado people, which, no doubt, will only be equalled to the incredu- 
lity of the people, both east and west, concerning this new source of wealth 
to the State. The Colorado farmer is the only person who complacently 
views the situation as a plain matter of fact, and he is onlj^ reasonably 
enthusiastic. He has patiently waited for his orchards to grow and his 
vineyards to mature. There are thousands of orchards in Colorado and 
they have trees bearing all manner of fruit. The pear and peach have not 
yet as luscious a development as the California fruit, but the}'^ are fine and 
plentiful, still in the process of development. The apple, for luxurious 
growth and flavor, is without a superior in any State. The apple has been 
cultivated successfully for the past twenty-four years, and the number of 
trees now planted is about half a million. The area of its culture extends 
from the extreme north to the south along the line of the eastern water- 
shed of the Rocky Mountains, in all localities where irrigating water is 
available, and at an altitude of 6,000 feet, and in some instances in the 
mountain valleys at even a higher altitude, with protected surroundings. 



4g COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

The oldest plantation of orchards is twenty- four years of age. The largest 
bearing orchard in the State comprises 3,000 trees, which in 188S produced 
15,000 bushels, worth about one dollar per bushel. There are no meteoro- 
logical causes to produce failure of crops that usually obtain in all States 
East. All varieties of apples that are usually grown in apple regions are 
successful in Colorado. Colorado may be emphatically styled as good an 
apple region as any other State in the Union, when properly cared for. 
Pear trees, when of mature age, bear successful crops of the several 
varieties. Peaches are not a general success on the eastern side of the 
Rocky Mountain range, but may be successfully cultivated on the western. 

Grapes grow in all varieties. They grow in the mountains and upon 
the plains. The soil, climate and physical configuration of the country is 
peculiarly adapted to their culture. Vintage is destined to be one of the 
great industries of the future. The heavy seeded grapes predominate and 
the Concord is one of the chief favorites. The fruit is of high flavor and is 
a superior wine maker. All the fruits of Colorado have the special merit 
of superior flavor and sweetness. In this respect the apples are remarka- 
ble. All fruits grow abundant and their culture has been everywhere suc- 
cessful, except far out upon the plains. All fruits, including peaches and 
other stone fruits, grow luxuriantl}- on the western side of the mountains. 
In Arapahoe, El Paso, Pueblo, Bent, Boulder, Larimer, Jefferson and Weld 
counties, on the plains east of the mountains; in Fremont county, which is 
in the midst of the mountains in the middle of the State, and in Delta, 
Mesa and Montrose counties on the western slope, extensive orchards have 
been planted within the past five years. In some of the eastern counties 
large farms have been converted into orchards. These orchards range in 
the number of trees from 1,000 to 3,000, while in Boulder county there is 
one farm of thirty-five acres, including all varieties of fruits. In Fremont, 
the banner fruit county, one grower alone has one hundred varieties of 
apples, all of which grow finely. On the western side of the mountains, 
where fruit culture, as well as all kinds of farming is in its infancy, all 
kinds of stone fruit grow abundantly. This is especially the peach grow- 
ing section of the State, and this fruit is so prolific that often the trees can 
not bear the weight of their abundant yield. There is one orchard in Mesa 
county having 12,000 peach trees alone. 

Grapes everywhere grow well and only the California varieties need 
winter protection. The best production of grape is in the middle, moun- 
tainous part, of which Fremont county is the representative. Of what is 
known as the native varieties, the Concord is the most extensively grown, 
but the Hartford prolific, Moore's Early Brighton, Pocklington, Vergennese, 
Walter, Catawba, Prentiss, Duchess, Lindley, Elvira, Worden, Salem, lona, 
Agawam, August Giant, Earl}' Victor, Jefferson, Niagara and other varieties 
are successfully grown. With winter protection most of the California varie- 
ties grow profusely and to perfection. Though the apple is conceded to be 
the queen of fruits in Colorado, the grape is entitled to an equally important 
place in horticulture. 

Fruit tree planting is progressing at an enormoiis rate in Colorado. 
The crops are never-failing and the business is profitable. It is, in fact, 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 47 

becoming a great industry with boundless opportunities for all who may 
wish to engage in it. In 18SS, the number of fruit trees planted in Colo- 
rado was 200,000; the yield of apples was 60,000 bushels, and the largest 
yield from a single orchard of 2,000 apple trees was 15,000 bushels. The 
yield of the current year will largely exceed that of the past. 

Of the small fruits in Colorado, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, 
gooseberries and currants are most prolific. For size, sweetness, excellence 
of flavor and abundance of growth, the strawberry is not surpassed any- 
where in the world, and everywhere in the State, even up to the edge of the 
eternal snow peaks in the mountains the soil is productive of them. They 
grow on the highest mountains and in the lowest valleys. A yield of 3,000 
to 6,000 quarts per acre is not unusual. It is easy for any person possessing 
a farm or a garden, or even a spare corner of his yard in the town or cit}-, 
to raise his own supply of strawberries, with a surplus for the market. 
During the present year, one gardener in the suburbs of Denver cleared a 
profit of $700 off his crop of strawberries planted on three-quarters of an 
acre. Gooseberries are grown in Colorado as large as plums and they are 
of superior flavor. Blackberries are extensively cultivated and they reach 
a size and lusciousness that would be amazing to the people of Eastern 
States who have seen this fruit only in its wild state; but to be successful, 
the berry requires slight covering in the winter. 

Plums in all variety have been raised the current season, where trees of 
proper age have been planted. This fruit has not been heretofore considered 
successful, but the present crop was prolific and fine in quality. 

Of all plant fruits the watermelon of Coforado is the most delicious, 
and it is an unfailing crop of abundant yield. The culture of the water- 
melon has become a great mouey-making business, and the Colorado melon 
will soon have the prestige in the West, which belongs to the Georgia melon 
in the South, the former having the superior merit of being sweeter and 
capable of longer preservation. Certain sections of the vState are peculiarly 
adapted to its culture. In Otero, Bent and Prowers counties along the valley 
of the Arkansas river, is a great stretch of country which not longer than 
five years ago was a sterile, sandy waste, parched and blistered under the 
sun, with scarcely sufficient grass in the midst of the sand to graze the 
scattered herds. Now this entire section is converted into rich farming 
lands with a populous and thriving community, and the great crop of the 
country is watermelons. The town of Rocky Ford is the center of popula- 
tion and the chief watermelon market, and so great is the yield and so 
splendid the melons that all parts of the State draw upon this section for 
their supply, notwithstanding the watermelon is everywhere a standard field 
crop. 



48 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 



ONE of the greatest'attractions possessed by Colorado is the healthful 
climate. This means its pure air, its brilliant sunshine and its 
agreeable weather all the year round. The most reliable medical 
authorities in the world give abundant and indisputable reasons why 
high altitudes with a dry atmosphere are the healthiest places for residence. 
In all countries disease is most prevalent where there is an excess of moist- 
ure and decaying vegetation. The conditions in Colorado are precisely the 
opposite, the air being perpetually dry, with little decaying vegetation 
except that of the farms. That the climate of Colorado is especially effica- 
cious in the arrest and cure of pulmonary diseases is well known to the 
world, and there maj- be found thousands of people in the State who can 
testify to this fact by their happj- experiences. There are a great number 
of people who came to Colorado a few years ago poor and broken down in 
health, and who are now strong, active and prosperous in business. The 
immediate hygienic influences of the altitude, the atmosphere and the sur- 
roundings upon the invalid are given by one of the most active and intelli- 
gent of Colorado's physicians as follows: 

"There is a sufficient altitude to cause lung and chest development by 
the increased respiration, which becomes necessary; there is the dry, ex- 
hilerating mountain air, with the absence of malaria; there is the tonic 
effect of a bracing climate, without its rigors; an atmosphere filled with 
ozone; cool nights in summer; a bright, sunny sky almost every day in the 
year, conducive of cheerfulness and bringing a new pleasure every morn- 
ing. It naturally follows from these conditions that both mind and body 
are constantly stimulated in their functions." 

Health resorts are numerous in the State. Colorado is one vast health 
resort in itself. But there are numerous designated places in the mountains 
where accommodations of a splendid character have been prepared for the 
entertainment of the invalid and the pleasure of the tourist. The waters 
have a curative value equal to the most famous mineral springs in the 
world. 

The pocket diary of a well known citizen of Denver, who was cured of' 
asthma by a residence of a few j'ears, showed a record of only thirty- 
three days in twelve years in which the sun was not visible in the twenty- 
four hours. This record is an important and leading factor, which, besides 
carrying with it all the peculiar attributes to be ascribed to a pure atmos- 
phere, presents a most important fact, which is not overlooked by the medi- 
cal profession — the curative influence of atmospheric electricit}-. It is 
affirmed that the increased electrical influence of high altitude atmosphere 
is one of the most valuable aids in the battle against consumption. With 
a clear sky the electricit}' of the air is always positive. Continued medium- 
ship of the human body between the positive air and the negative earth 
is a constant renewal of vitality. For this reason, camping out and "rough- 
ing it" as much as possible in dry and elevated countries is advised. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 49 

The places of best advantage in seeking health are the cities and towns 
on the plains and the watering places of the mountains. Invalids should 
not go the moun'tains until after they have spent some weeks on the plains. 
In many instances the plains are preferable for a permanent residence. 

The beneficial effect of Colorado climate upon consumptives is best 
illustrated by the results in 202 cases under the care of one of Denver's 
most eminent physicians, within a period of five years, all the persons 
having come to Colorado while the disease was in progress. These are 
classified as follows: First stage (deposit), 75; second stage (softening), 42; 
third stage (excavation), 85. The tirst stage cases averaged one year and eight 
months sickness before coming. Results: Much improved, 64; slight improve- 
ment, 10; advance of disease i. Second stage: One year and five months 
before coming. Average: Much improved, 16; slightly improved, 12; 
favorable resistance to disease, 6; advance of disease, 8; now known to be 
in State, 26. Third stage: These cases averaged two years and eight 
months sickness before coming, and one year and eight months residence in 
the State. Result: Much improved, 15; slightly improved, 22; favorable 
resistance, 17; extension and advance, 31. 

That the climate is in itself a preventive of phthisis is evidenced by the 
fact that consumption does not originate here. The few cases said to have 
originated in Colorado can almost always be found to have been inherited 
or brought in incipiency from the East or the lower altitudes of the West. 

It should not be inferred because its principal virtue is the healing of 
lung disease that Colorado climate is only beneficial to such afflicted people. 
People come from all parts of the world with broken constitutions and soon 
recover. These include men and women with shattered nervous systems, 
d3'speptics, rheumatics, paralytics, extreme biliousness, malarial poisoning, 
liver and kidney diseases and a host of kindred ailments. A large per cent, 
of these are restored to health and it is rarely that anyone is not improved. 

In respect to the weather in Colorado, there are some strange and very 
erroneous impressions. With those who have never visited the State and 
who seem to regard Colorado as a next-door neighbor to the more frigid 
regions of the northwest, the impression prevails that it is a severely cold, 
stormy, and generally disagreeable country. The inquiries which are re- 
ceived from all parts upon this subject are often made in the form of ob- 
jections. "It is so terribly cold out there," they say. "You have no rains 
in Colorado." "It is so awfully dusty," and "The wind blows every da3\" 

No, it is not terribly cold. The winters are most delightful. In all the 
temperate zone there is no country where the weather is more equable, with 
a greater average of mildness, than in Colorado. In many States of the 
Union there are virtually but two seasons in the year — summer and winter. 
In Colorado, the four seasons are marked with regularity of time and con- 
ditions of weather. With an occasional exception, the year rolls around 
its season as follows: 

Winter begins with the ending of a most delightful autunm, about the 
middle of December. The first cold days may come occasionally in Novem- 
ber and December. But they are not uncomfortably cold days and the 



50 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

change is brief. The first cold spell usually comes about the eighth or 
fifteenth of January. Usually, there are only two or three of such "spells" 
during the winter. Their average duration is a week. They have lasted 
two weeks, oftener only four days at a time. During such periods the mer- 
cury seldom reaches zero in the day and occasionally falls to ten or fifteen 
below at night, but zero would be a fair average for the coldest period of 
three or four days. The average maximum temperature for January is about 
sixty degrees; for February, sixty. The average minimum temperature for 
January is about fifteen degrees below zero, the lowest record in seventeen 
years being twenty-nine degrees, in one year only. For February, the 
average minimum is about ten degrees below. The maximum temperature 
prevails for two-thirds of the entire season, frequently, one of the two 
months is " open " weather throughout, and even a whole winter has passed 
with almost daily sunshine, a high temperature and a delightful atmosphere 
that does not require heavy wraps for either man or woman. 

The spring is generally mild and moist, with only such changes as are 
common in Eastern States. This is the season when the greater amount of 
snow falls. Later in the spring and early in the summer the rains begin. 
It rains frequently and the showers are copious. As to the freaks of weather 
throughout the year, the wind blows only as it blows in other countries, 
only at intervals, sometimes of many days. The light breezes are generous 
and refreshing. The drj' wind-storms come in their due season, bringing a 
cloud of dust which is disagreeable as a matter of course; but these storms 
have their period. They serve as one of Nature's great sanitary measures, 
and their effect is beneficial and refreshing. Neither cyclones or sunstrokes 
ever occur in Colorado. 

The summers are seldom excessively warm. ]n\y is the only hot month 
when the maximum temperature will average ninety degrees, and the mini- 
mum fifty. The sun shines bright and hot; but is delightful everywhere 
in the shade. During the midsummer refreshing showers come frequently, 
and the nights are always deliciously cool, inducing rest and sleep. 

No country in the world can excel the bright, genial, sunny weather 
of a Colorado autumn. It is fiill worth a trip across the continent, and a 
sojourn of a month to breathe the delicious air and bathe in the glorious 
sunshine of the autumn days in Colorado. For the most part it is warm; 
but seldom too warm or too cool for comfort, and the mild pure atmosphere 
prevails uninterruptedly through the season, which does not end tift near 
tjie close of the year. 

Among the natural resources of Colorado are the numerous mineral 
springs which abound throughout the State. The waters from these springs 
have more than a local reputation, many of them being shipped to points 
not only within the State but to adjacent States and Territories. These 
springs are found at Mauitou, Pueblo, Leadville, Glenwood Springs, Idaho 
Springs in the southern portion of the State, and in Chaffee, Grand, Park 
and Boulder counties and other localities, and the waters, which are both 
hot and cold, have a national reputation lor their medicinal properties. It 
is, in fine, only a question of time that Colorado, from this source alone, 
will achieve the position of being a State noted for its health resorts and 
people will flock here from all parts to receive the benefits of the life-giv- 
ing waters with which the State has been so freely endowed. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 5;} 

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 



IF there is one department of social government in Colorado which ex- 
cels all others it is that of her public school system. Nothing truthful 
can be said concerning her educational advantages without seeming 
extravagance. The excellence of her schools are of national reputa- 
tion and they stand unrivaled in the United States. Wherever a settlement 
is made in Colorado there is a unanimity of sentiment in the purpose of 
educating the young in the most excellent and thorough manner. There 
are two features which especially bespeak the liberality of Colorado's edu- 
cational advantages. These are the splendid character of the school build- 
ings and the thorough accomplishment of the teachers selected for every 
■department of training. 

The organization and system of the public schools are as follows: Offi- 
cers—State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Educa- 
tion, County Superintendent and District Boards. System — Ungraded district 
schools, town and city graded schools and high school courses. Associa- 
tions — Local institutes, State Teachers' Association, County Teachers' As- 
sociations. The school age is between 6 and 21 years. 

The State institutions are: The State University, at Boulder; the State 
School of Mines, at Golden; the Agricultural College, at Fort Collins; the 
State Industrial School at, Golden; and the Mute and Blind Institute, at 
Colorado Springs. The departments of study at these several institutions 
are as follows: 

State University— Preparatory, Normal, Classic, Scientific and Medical. 

State Agricultural College — Agriculture, Horticulture, Mechanics and 
Drawing. Mathematics and Military Science, Modern Language, Chemistry 
and Geology, Physics and Engineering, Veterinary Science and Zoology. 

State School of Mines — Metallurgy. 

Institute for the Mute and Blind — Teaching the blind in Reading, Math- 
ematics and Music; the deaf in reading the lips, and the signs, and in ac- 
quiring hearing by the application of modern scientific instruments, etc. 

The State Industrial School, at Golden, is an institution for the educa- 
tion and industrial training of refractory and uncared for boys and girls. 

The report of the State Superintendent of Public Schools for 18S8 gave 
the following flattering statistics: Number of school districts, 990; number 
of school houses, 820; number of children of school age, 76,212; number of 
pupils enrolled, 50,745; value of school property, 13,238,021; balance of 
school fund to the credit of the State, 1601,192. The wages of teachers are 
$35 to ^50 in ungraded, and I50 to I150 in graded schools. 

The last Legislature of Colorado enacted an excellent law, by which 
school districts are permitted to purchase and own their text books for the 
Mse of all the children. Also, each school district may levy a tax of one- 
tenth mill for the purpose of establishing libraries. Many of the schools 



52 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

of towns and cities are provided with good libraries for the free use of the 
children and this has become one of the best methods of a liberal educa- 
tion. 

The per capita tax for school purposes is exceedingl}^ small. The State 
owns about 3,000,000 acres of school lands, from which there is an annual 
income by sales and leases, and this income is adequate for current expenses. 
Hence, there is nothing lacking in the matter of finances to meet every 
requirement of the present and to anticipate the necessities of the future. 



WOOLEN MILLS FOR COLORADO. 



THERE are many reasons why woolen mills could be established and 
profitably conducted in Colorado. The official report for 188S places 
the wQol clip in the United States at about 100,000,000 pounds. Of 
this amount Colorado produced one-tenth, or near 10,000,000 pounds. 
For New Mexico the clip was approximately 7,000,000 pounds; Arizona, 3,000, 
000; Southern Utah, 3,000,000, and Wyoming, 4,000,000. Thus it is shown 
that the Rocky Mountain country produces 27,000,000 pounds, or more than 
one-fourth of all the wool grown in the United States. Within this section 
of the Rocky Mountain region there are one million consumers of woolen 
goods, and Colorado, by reason of its situation and accessibility, is the 
natural center of this trade. 

The use of woolen goods in this section of the country is probably 
greater than in the East, for various and obvious reasons. The climate here 
is equable, and hot weather, as the term is understood in the East, is rare 
and almost unknown. Many of the mining operations are conducted at or 
very near the timber line, which means at a point where an absolute thaw 
never occurs, and only that vegetation the roots of which penetrate to a 
small depth can thrive. Naturally winter clothing is worn all the time, and 
the heavy underwear of the miner is not changed in the summer. To supply 
this large home demand, therefore, immense sums are annually expended, 
which should inure to the benefit of a home industry of this kind. Under- 
wear, blankets, socks and cloths of certain kinds could be manufactured here 
as well as in any other place on earth. 

An establishment like that proposed should include every process of 
scouring, twisting, weaving and knitting the wool, and could surely under- 
sell eastern manufacturers in its products. But not the miner alone, every 
inhabitant of Colorado is a consumer of such woolen fabrics as can be made 
at home, and as it has all the requisites of production, it can also become 
the manufacturer and the market for the Rocky Mountain region. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 53 

HOW TO MAKE MONEY. 



THIS is the great universal question which actuates the world to all its 
industrial achievements. It is the problem which prompted the 
early settlers of Colorado to make long, weary and dangerous jour- 
neys across the plains tw^enty and thirty years ago. It is the pur- 
pose which now brings the incoming thousands as fast as the engines of 
quick-transit railroads can transport them. If such people need advice as 
to the methods of making monej-, we would say to the man of capital to 
invest it in the properties of increasing values or start some kind of business. 
The growing requirements of a large immigration to a new country will 
assure the prosperity of any kind of legitimate business where the merchant 
or the manufacturer can present useful goods to the people. Should the fancy 
of the newcomer turn in that direction, we would say that there are means 
of ascertaining how and where safe and profitable investments can be made 
in mining. If he is without money, there is but one way for him to 
succeed, and that is to pull off his coat and go to work at the first thing 
that will pay him a day's wages, and then for the rest, frugality, temperance 
and close application, with the eye ever open for opportunities. 

The inequalities of poverty and wealth that are universal, prevail in 
Colorado, with the exception only that these inequalities exist in less pro- 
portion. The laborer and artisan should not be discouraged in his desire to 
come West, but every workingman, especially if he have a family dependent 
upon him, should have a thorough understanding of the industrial situa- 
tion before he decides to leave his old home. This is a country of 
development. Its progress is marvelous. But however promising it may 
be, the universal law of supply and demand regulates the condition of labor 
here as elsewhere. It is not desirable that either labor or capital should 
come singly to Colorado. To the latter the advantages in Colorado have 
been fully set forth, and if it avail itself of the great opportunity offered, 
labor will naturally come with it hand in hand. It is not advisable, how- 
ever, that the indigent man come to Colorado, however industrious he may be, 
unless he has some settled plan of livelihood or a trade or vocation that 
will insure ready emplo5'ment. But the resources of wealth in Colorado 
present abundant opportunity to the poor man who comes prepared to 
take an active part in the general development. The prospect is always 
open to the man who can engage in a substantial way in any productive 
enterprise within the scope of Colorado's numerous industries. 



54 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



WAGES AND COST OF LIVING. 



The following figures are obtained by averaging the wages as given in 
the employer's and the employe's blanks received at the office of the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics from the several counties in the State, compiled by the 
Deputy Commissioner of Labor: 




Awn in gm ak ers 

Blacksiiiiths |3 

Blacksmith's help ... ,2 

Boilermakers 3 

Boilermakers' help 

Bookbinders 

*Boot-shoemakers 2 

Brick burners 

Brickmakers 

Brickla\-ers 5 

*Broommakers 2 

Cabinetiuakers 2 

Candj'makers 

Carpenters 1 3 

Carriage-wagonmakers 2 

Carriage painters ' 2 

Carriage trimmers 2 

*Cigarraakers 2 

Engineers (stationary) 2 

Grainers 4 

Harnessmakers 2 

Hatters i 

Hodcarriers (brick) 2 

Hodcarriers (mortar) • 2 

Laborers i 

Lead pipe makers 

Laundrymen i 

Macaroni factory men 

Machinists 2 

Marble cutters 3 

Marble polishers 

*Mattress makers ... 

Moulders (brass) 

Moulders (iron) 

Painters 2 

Paperhangers 2 

Pipe fitters 

Plasterers .... 
Plumbers .... 
Soapniakers . . . 
Stair builders . . 
Stonecutters . . . 
Stonemasons . . 
Street car drivers 

*Tailors 

Teamsters .... 
Tinsmiths .... 



00 to 
25 to 
00 to 



50 to 



00 to 
25 to 
50 to 

00 to 
50 to 
50 to 
50 to 
00 to 
00 to 
00 to 
25 to 
75 to 
75 to 
50 to 
50 to 

75 to 

50 to 
00 to 



50 to 
50 to 



3 50 to 



$2 50 
4 00 

2 50 

3 50 

2 50 

3 00 

3 25 

4 50 
3 50 
6 00 
3 o" 
3 50 

3 00 

4 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 50 
3 50 
6 00 
3 00 

2 50 

3 00 
3 00 

2 00 

3 50 

2 25 

1 75 

3 5" 
3 50 

2 50 
2 so 



M 25 
2 62 



00 to 
00 to 



■ 3 00 to 

upholsterers 2 50 to 



3 25 
3 25 
3 00 
3 00 

3 00 

4 00 
3 50 

1 75 

3 00 

4 75 
4 50 

2 00 

3 50 
I 50 
3 75 
3 00 



3 00 

4 96 






8 


10 


2 50 


10 
10 
10 


10 


3 22 

2 89 


9 

Q 


9 
10 


3 25 


ID 


10 




10 


10 




8 


10 


3 75 


10 


t 


2 60 


10 

10 
8 
8 


10 


2 23 


10 

10 


10 


I 75 


10 
10 


10 


358 


10 
10 

10 
10 


10 


3 25 

3 17 






9 


10 


3 41 


9 


10 


3 07 

4 00 


10 
8 


10 
o&io 


3 91 


9 
10 


9&10 


4 1-5 


9 
8 


9&10 
9&10 


3 75 


10 


10 


I 50 


10 


10 


2 75 


9 
10 


10 



■ Note. — Persons employed in these occupations are paid by the piece. t Uncertain. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



55 



TABLE OF WEEKLY WAGES. 

Weekly wages paid to men, also the number of hours employed in 
the following occupations, in the State : 



AVERAGE WAGES 



OCCUPATION 



Barbers $12 to 20 

Bartenders 12 to 28 

Bookkeepers 12 to 35 

Brewers 15 to 16 

*Butchers j 15 to 30 

Car drivers (street) I 14 

Clerks 5 to 25 

*Cooks ' 5 to 25 

Hack drivers 12 to 20 

Porters and janitors , 12 to i 

Printers .' 

Typewriters 10 to 20 

*Waiters 6 to 10 




* Note. — Persons employed in these occupations receive board in addition to their 
money wages. 



Wages paid to the employes in the mining and smelting industries of 
the State, averaged from returns received from twelve counties: 

Wages 
Occupation — per day 

Blacksmiths $3 7° 

Blacksmith helpers 3 00 

Carpenters 3 56 

Engineers 3 84 

Feeders 2 75 

Firemen 3 50 

Laborers 2 60 

Masons 5 00 

Miners 3 02 

Ore sorters 2 85 

Pumpmen 5 65 

Roasters 3 25 

Roasters' helpers 2 79 

Smelters 3 00 , 

Smelter helpers 2 62 

Special laborers 3 15 

Wheelers 2 50 

Machinists 4 50 

The average of coal miners' wages per week is |i6.oo, varying in differ- 
ent localities from I14 to ^20. 

In large numbers, throughout the State, females fill the places of clerks 
in all kinds of stores, waitresses in hotels and restaurants, type-writers, gov- 
ernesses, cooks, housemaids and general servant girls. Female clerks re- 
ceive from $6 to ;|?2o per week in dry goods stores, averaging about $10; ser- 
vant girls are paid from $12 to 125 per month, averaging about $18. Any 
good English-speaking, general house-work girl can obtain |;2o per month 
and her board and lodging. 

The ample facilities afforded by the railways and the great increase of 
recent years in the home supply from agriculture, manufactures and other 



5(3 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

sources, have rendered the matter of living in Colorado a problem of no 
greater difficulty than in the Eastern States. There is a little more cost for 
the daily market basket, but this difference is compensated for in the fact 
that the average rate of wages is higher. A family of five persons living 
in the cities, if they are economical, can supply the table for from |io to 
$12 a week, and |[8 per week will afford a good bill of fare. The possibility 
of living much cheaper is of coarse realized by the laborer, who, with un- 
certain employent, must divide his earnings of from $io to $[4 per week 
between all departments of the household. Rent in the cities and larger 
towns is proportionately the largest item of expense. Cottages of four and 
five rooms rent for |i8, $20, I25 and $35 per month. Storied dwellings rent 
from $40 to |8o per month, according to size and location. Hotel rates, 
according to the class of house, range from $25 to $75 per month. Table 
board at hotels and boarding houses at $4 50 to $12 per week. Regular 
meals can be obtained at restaurants at from twenty-five to fifty cents. 
Board and room at boarding houses range from $" to $12 per week. In 
smaller towns near agricultural districts the prices of market stuffs, board 
and rents range lower, while in the mountain districts the prices correspond 
very closely, but in some instances range slightly higher than in the cities 
on the plains. 

Although the wage working people of Colorado are as closely circum- 
scribed by the cost of living in comparison with their earnings as in other 
industrial States of the Union, the thrift of this class is surprising. A large 
per cent of this population, including the laborers, mechanics, clerks and 
working women own their own homes. The opportunity of securing a 
home in Colorado is one of the flattering inducements offered to the poor 
man, and to the man of occupation and enterprise a home in Colorado is 
itself a good foundation for his fortune. 



MANUFACTURING. 



THE industrial life of Colorado is of too short duration for any great 
development in the manufacturing department. But achievements 
thus far in the production of iron, steel, copper and lead wares from 
native material are of no little importance and give ver}- positive 
proof of her unbounded capabilities. Situated in the center of a great wool 
growing country, and within easy communication with the timbers and cot- 
ton fields of the South, it is not an unreasonable prophecy that there will in 
due time be manufactories for the textile fabrics, besides numerous other 
establishments which are not numbered among the many manufactories 
large and small now in operation. That there are present the facilities and 
the material for extensive manufacturing in Colorado is a self evident fact. 
The statistics of eighteen principal towns and cities show that an immense 
revenue is derived from this source, and that the foundation is laid for very 
extensive operations in future. The total value of manufactures in 1888, in- 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 57 

eluding smelter products, was 158,181,710. Of this sum 129,217,631 is 
accredited to the smelters — the products of the ores in gold, silver, copper 
and lead. The remainder is the value of all manufactured goods from an 
airy whim, or a package of baking powder to a steam engine or a ponderous 
piece of mining machiner}'. The products of iron manufactories, copper 
and lead works, from native material, are also included in this total of values. 
The total wages paid by all these industries for the year were f 11, 061, 081. 
In the eighteen principal towns and cities reporting there were 621 manu- 
factories, giving emplo'j^ment to 14,650 persons. The principal manufactur- 
ing points in the State are Denver and Pueblo. Trinidad has also recently 
established a rolling mill and iron works for working native ores. The pro- 
ducts of the several establishments in these places, consisting of raw mate- 
rial from native ores and all kinds of iron manufactures ranging in their 
importance from an iron rail to heavy and complicated machinery of all 
descriptions, are the strongest possible proofs of future possibilities. 

The two prime conditions of manufacturing — fuel and water — exist in 
Colorado without limit of supply. It has been shown that the native mate- 
rials in the metals are abundant. The history of manufacturing thus far 
demonstrates that there is a ready demand, not only in Colorado, but 
throughout the Rocky Mountain region for home manufactures of whatever 
description. Principal among the productive enterprises, besides those of 
iron and other metals, which have establishments in the principal cities and 
for which there still is plenty of room in Colorado, are building materials of 
all descriptions, carriages, wagons and street cars, plain and pressed brick, 
fire brick, and various fire-clay articles, furniture and a long list of the 
smaller industries which involve nearly all the trades necessary to a well 
organized industrial community. 



EASTERN COLORADO. 



So much attention has been drawn to this section of the State by its 
fame as a fertile and richly productive section, where crops are raised 
each succeeding year without irrigation, that the subject becomes 
worthy of special mention. From the time of the first agricultural 
settlement in this part of the State, not longer than five years ago, till the 
present, it has been an open question, with many differing oi^inions, as to 
the permanency of any meteorological condition favorable to the farmer in 
the arid region. The repeated experiments of a series of years have thus 
far set aside all speculation concerning this matter; the result has been the 
acquisition of a large area within the State by a stalwart and thrifty farming 
population, who have converted this sterile waste of sandy plains into lux- 
uriant fields of grain, and they have built comfortable homes and handsome 



58 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

towns and villages, with their workshops, their schools, their churches and 
all the ordinary institutions of social life, It is no longer a disputed propo- 
sition, but a self evident fact that these communities are not only self-sus- 
taining, but ])rosperous. In support of the popular theory of the great 
"rain belt" area a new condition now comes to light that gives a most posi- 
tive emphasis to the fact that crops can be grown year after year in this 
country without irrigation. This condition is found in the peculiar nature 
of the soil, which is so retentive of moisture that frequent rainfall is not a 
necessity. 

The condition of the different kinds of soil in Eastern Colorado, make 
it a very difficult matter to draw the line between the rain belt and the irri- 
gated portion of the State. While irrigation extends as far east as vSterling, 
along the South Platte river there is a large territory, extending from the 
eastern boundary, as far west as Fort Morgan in the north-eastern part, and 
as far west as Rocky Ford in the south-eastern part of the State, giving an 
area of not less than loo by 280 miles in extent. The most of this territory 
is a beautiful level prairie and so-called tablelaud, which has a dark loam 
soil, susceptible of growing good crops without irrigation. This has 
been thoroughly tested the past five years. Crops of all kinds mature and 
yield equal to the irrigated portion along the Platte and other rivers. 
"While there may be no more rain-fall over these tablelands, the soil is such 
that it retains the moisture and does not dry out as rapidly as along the 
river bottoms where the soil is quite sandy and loose. All that is neces- 
sary to prove these facts', is a look at the fine crops that are being harvested 
over this territory the present year, which are fully equal to crops grown in. 
Central and Western Nebraska in its early settlement. 



THE LEGAL DISTRIBUTION OF WATER. 



THE water of the State is the property of the people. Under the law,, 
a company or an individual constructing a ditch from a natural 
stream is considered a common carrier, and under the law, may re- 
ceive a certain amount of money for conveying this water from 
its natural bed out over the country to certain tracts of land. 

The first ditch to appropriate water from any natural stream, said ditch 
having filed a statement of this fact with the county clerk, is entitled when- 
ever there is any scarcity of water in that stream, to the first right of the 
water, and in succession as they follow, other ditches are entitled to their 
proportionate supply. These are called priorities. 

By the laws of the State the first ditch constructed has a priority right 
to the water appropriated, and no canal, tapping the stream nearer its 
source, can divert the water of the older ditch. The laws provide for 
measurement, proof of quantity and date of appropriation, so that there 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 59 

may be no controversy as to whom the water rightfully belongs. Every 
equitable safeguard which experience suggests is made to protect the rights 
of those who invest in these enterprises. The people of the State are fully 
alive to the importance of utilizing the water of the mountains on the farm 
in order to be able to supply the home markets and prevent as much as pos- 
sible the outflow of money for breadstuffs, vegetables, fruits, etc., which 
now goes to other States to a large extent. A title to water and the owner's 
rights under it, if properly established b}^ law, are as secure as title to real 
estate. 

The rate to be charged for water by the year is regulated by the board 
of county commissioners for each county, and the law compels a ditch com- 
pany to give water to any applicant at the price established by the board 
of county commissioners, whenever the water commissioner of that water 
district shall determine that there is more water in the ditch than has 
already been purchased, leased and delivered. There is both the rental 
and the perpetual water right plan in vogue in the State. Rentals run from 
I1.50 to ,^2.50 a cubic inch per season. Fifty statutory inches are consid- 
ered sufficient to irrigate So acres of land, or according to other measure- 
ment, 1.44 cubic feet under a five inch pressure per second of time, will 
convey sufficient water to cover 80 acres of land. 

The perpetual rights vary in price from $10 to $50 for enough water to 
cover an acre of land forever. In addition to this price, which gives per- 
petual right to the water for a certain number of acres mentioned, com- 
panies charge from 50 cents to I1.25 an acre a year to maintain a canal 
and pay its operating expenses. Of course, a new-comer seeking a home- 
farm, naturally locates, his land, First — Contiguous to the stream from 
which he may take out his own ditch, and Second — Contiguous to a ditch 
already built. In the first instance he absolutely controls his own water 
supply from the stream, and in the second instance, he joins a co-operative 
association, so to speak, who divide among themselves the water passing 
through the ditch, whence they expect to receive their supply. In the first 
instance, the locator builds and maintains his own canal or ditch ; in the 
second instance, he buys his water and pays someone else for maintaining 
the ditch. 



HOW TO OBTAIN A MINING CLAIM. 



THE location of a mining claim is a very simple process. The pros- 
pector starts out into the mountains with an equipment of tools and 
provisions, his supply of the latter usuall}- intended to last about 
three days. His means of transportation is a burro, but sometimes 
he goes on foot. His daily prospecting excursions from camp are always on 
foot. With his pick in hand he follow's the valley at the foot of the moun- 
tain, inspecting the surface closely for mineral "float." This mineral float 



60 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

appears often in little dark bits of oxidized ore, sometimes in the form of 
mineral dust of different colors, which by the action of waters has made a 
streak from the apex of the mineral vein down the mountain side. Whether 
it be a piece of float or a streak of mineral, the prospector follows this in- 
dication on a vertical line till he reaches the point where the indication 
ceases on the surface. This is called the apex and the point of discovery 
where the prospector makes his location and drives his stake. Upon this 
stake he writes his name, stating that he has made a location of the claim 
on a certain date. He then causes the ground to be surveyed to establish 
his side lines, and the limit of 1,500 feet forward from the point of location. 
In the older counties of the State the claim is 150 feet wide by 1,500 feet 
long. In the new counties which includes the greater mining territory, the 
dimensions are 300 by 1500 feet long. From the day of location the pros- 
pector is allowed 60 days in which to sink a ten foot-hole, or deeper if neces- 
sary to discover a well defined crevice. This being done he is allowed thirty 
days more in which to survey and record the property. Then he is required 
each year thereafter to perform development work amounting to $100 in value. 
When he has completed 1500 worth of work, he can apply for and obtain a 
government patent upon the claim. This work can be accomplished all at 
once, or at the rate of ^loo a year for five years. If in any year the miner 
fails to perform the required amount of work, his clain is forfeited, and it is 
subject to relocation; or should he fail in any event to perform $500 worth 
of work within five years from the date of location, the claim is forfeited, 
and the owner is barred the right of a patent, unless he again goes through 
the formal process of location. 



HEALTH AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 



MINERAL, springs of the most renowned medicinal qualities abound 
in all parts of Colorado, while throughout the State there are 
pleasure resorts and splendid places of attraction of various kinds 
in great numbers. It is truly said that all of Colorado is a health 
resort. W^ith its beautiful cities on the plain?, its gorgeous mountain peaks 
and loveh^ valleys, its awful canons with their rushing torrents, its forests 
and its streams, and its broad green parks amid the mountains, what more 
could Nature provide for the comfort and delight of man? Not only the 
health-giving mineral and thermal springs which gush spontaneously from 
the mountain sides invite the invalid and the weary, but around these 
charms of Nature have been established many delightful resorts with all the 
accommodations a people can desire for rest and pleasure. 

Until of late years there was the only choice in America of' the sea side 
beach, the inland resorts of New York and New England, and the Northern 
lakes. Now, with the lines of quick transit from the East and the West, 



COLORADO AND ITS RESQURCES. Ql 

with a large and growing industrial population, with splendid facilities for 
entertainment, with cosmopolitan institutions and customs, the Rocky 
Mountain region offers delightful summer resorts and all-the-year resi- 
dences that compare with the most famous places of attraction in the world. 
Not only the invalid, but the tourist from all parts of the world, come to 
Colorado for recuperation and rest. It is especially important that the cura- 
tive properties of Colorado mineral waters should be understood wherever 
the afflicted may find it possible to avail themselves of their benefits. It is 
the testimony of the wisest doctors of medicine the world over that the 
mineral waters of all countries which contain such ingredients as are found 
in Colorado waters possess a remedy and often a cure for rheumatism, liver, 
kidney and skin diseases, and always beneficial to the consumptive. The 
vast deposits of mineral in the mountains impregnate the waters of the 
snow, which, bubbling up in some romantic nook in the hills, furnish innu- 
merable mineral springs, whose life-giving liquid has been availed of as a 
universal restorer. The aborigines of the country and the Indians of 
modern times have availed themselves of their benefits, and the latter add 
their testimony to that of the physicians and to the experiences of the white 
people of to-day, that these waters have wrought wonderful relief and 
rairaculous cures to the afflicted. 



THE IMPRESSIONS ABROAD. 



THE great increase of trans-continental travel through Colorado during 
the past few years, the easy facility of railway communication and 
the permanent establishment of more extensive commercial rela- 
tions between this State and the rest of world have served more than 
all other influences to inform the people abroad concerning the country in 
all its phases of social and business life. Yet there are many people in the 
more distant States of the Union whose only conception of Colorado is that 
which has grown with them from the time when in the days of their youth 
they were thrilled with the stories of wild western adventure among the 
Indians and the buffalo of the mountains and plains. Such scenes exist 
only as a reminiscence of twenty 3-ears ago. All traces of savagery are 
gone and only the traditions of the Indian and the frontiersman remain to 
give a glamour of romance to the history of the past. All the crudities and 
privations of pioneer methods have given place to the progressive achieve- 
ments of an enlightened and skillful people, and an order of civilization 
which is more than all else conspicuous for its refinement prevails. The 
State stands dedicated to its schools, its churches and its institutions for 
the preservation of good government. No State in the Union can claim 
more splendid schools or a greater number of them in proportion to popu- 
lation, while the churches in the cities are nowhere in the Nation excelled 



62 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



for their magnificence and costliness. Nowhere in the world can be found 
a greater degree of intelligence among the poor, while the higher classes 
are drawn from all parts of the civilized world, bringing with them their 
education, their refinements and their many accomplishments. Taking the 
State all in all, there are a greater proportion of educated poor and a less 
percentage of dependent ones among them than in any State of the Union. 
As an aggregation, whether among the lich or poor, the number of bright 
men and women, of broad intelligence and high attainment in the intel- 
lectual world is not exceeded in the scholarly cities of fame in America, in 
Europe or the world. 

Colorado is no longer a land of insecurity to person or property. The 
border and its perils have been pushed beyond its limits, and even far away 
from the cities in the most isolated fastnesses of the mountains, savage 
customs of frontier life have given way to civilized conventionalities. The 
miner in his cabin accompanies his breakfast of bacon and beans with the 
New York, Chicago and Denver papers, and will chat freely with his visitor 
on the standard literature of the time, is familiar with the history of his 
country, and is prepared to discuss the great political questions of the day. 
Even further away, upon the very border of semi-civilization, where local 
law has little effect, where the country is open alike to the worst and best of 
mankind, the tourist seeking pleasure and restoration of health can lie down 
and sleep with unlocked doors in perfect security and wdthout apprehen- 
sion of danger to his person or property. 

The period has now been reached when there is but little of the spirit 
of mere adventure in the settlement of the State. Population is pouring in- 
to the State by increasing thousands each succeeding year. They are of 
a cosmopolitan complexion, representative of the industrial classes. The}^ 
come with the determination to achieve, and seem to have caught the new 
spirit of progress here before they started from their distant homes. For 
the most part, they are a people of a cheerful spirit, prosperous in their 
undertakings and contented with their choice of countr}-. 



6 



OLORADO BY COUNTIES. 



THE Bureau of Immigration and Statistics presents to the reader a 
statement of the industrial condition of each county in the vState. 
It is not asserted that these reports are in ever}' detail of facts and 
figures, absolutely correct. To reach the most reliable and intelli- 
gent sources of information in the time allotted, the bureau mailed to the 
editor of each newspaper in the State, a set of blanks containing inquiries 
concerning ever)' material interest of each and every county. These blanks 
contained no less than one hundred separate inquiries of a general charac- 
ter, besides the latitude which these inquiries gave to kindred subjects with- 
out number. The result has been gratifying. To collect and compile the 
data, besides writing the descriptions asked for, required no little exercise 
of patient and intelligent labor, and the burden of the work, compassing 
nearly the entire report of each county, fell upon the shoulders of the 
newspaper editors. Their work was altogether gratuitous, and no duty was 
ever more thoroughly or more cheerfull)' performed without compensation. 
Their interest in their own respective sections was sufficient remuneration ; 
but while laboring for their own communities, their work was done in behalf 
of the State. In this, the editor, whose life is devoted to the public, gives 
another instance of his willingness to do good, not only for his own section, 
but for the commonwealth. 



V 



THE COUNTIES. 



ARAPAHOE. 

THE county of Arapahoe was organized in iS6i and its inception occurred 
among all the stirring episodes of pro-slavery agitation. When ter- 
ritorial organization began, Arapahoe played its part and the opening 
chapters of the State's history were enacted on its soil. The story 
of those exciting days is familiar to all. It is not, therefore, with the past 
that this work is to do; it is with the present in its relation with the State at 
large and as a factor in future development. Arapahoe county extends 
from within a few miles of the foot-hills on the west to the Kansas State 
line, and embraces in its territory some of the vast domain upon which 
roved in undisputed possession the Indian tribe whose name the countv 
bears. It is i6o miles long and 30 miles wide. The center of population 
is in the western end of the county, where Denver is located and where 
the county's enormous wealth is concentrated. In the center and in 
the eastern part farming and ranching are pursued, and the soil for these 
pursuits is of the richest kind. The Arickaree, Republican, Box Elder all 
tributaries to the Platte river, enrich these vast virgin fields. The Platte flows 
through the western end, and has no part in the cultivation of the county 
except in the Platte valley, and b}^ irrigation from the vast canals which 
capital has built from the canon of the Platte in Douglas county. The Kan- 
sas Pacific division of the Union Pacific is the onh' line of railroad that 
extends to any distance towards the center of Arapahoe county. Denver is 
the count}^ seat, as it is also the capitol of the State. It has 125,000 popula, 
tion alone, and because of its size and commercial importance in a measure 
overshadows the great county of which it is a contributary part. A sketch 
of Arapahoe county can not well be written without according to this splen- 
did city the full measure of its glory. During the years of its brief exist- 
ence it has accomplished more than there has ever been accomplished by 
any city, and the record of its progress outstrips that of Chicago or Kansas 
City. This assertion is not extravagant. The results are seen upon the 
streets, in the magnificent buildings, the character of the city socially, in 
the powerful influences exercised in the commercial world and in the enormous 
improvement that is still being made. Here are the fine county bviildings, 
the State capitol costing over two million dollars, costly hotels and 
churches, and private residences that are palaces in the vast expenditures 
of wealth. Ten great lines of railroad make this a center, and through 
this channel the State is in a measure contributary to its prosperity. Sxir- 
rounding Denver in all directions there are fine farms in a high state of 
cultivation, and the result is a large number of suburban towns. From the 



(36 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

time of its organization in November of 1861 until 1865, there was no effort 
made to keep a record of valuation. But in 1865 a careful investigation 
showed the valuation to be 12,802,952, with a tax of 143,427; in 1S88, $55,- 
447,695 and a tax of 11,695,755. This year the assessed valuation is I67,- 
700,000, and upon this there has been no levy at this writing. The assessed 
valuation of Denver property is ^42,000,000, and the real valuation is $100,- 
000,000. The total acreage of land available for agriculture is 860,000; avail- 
able for grazing only 2,000,000 acres; total acreage of agriculture land under 
ditch 120,000. Very little attention has been paid the eastern end by the 
people of the western end of the county, and the impression is current that 
eastern Arapahoe is made up of arid wastes. But this is an error. Agri- 
culture has been carried on here with a high degree of success for the past 
five years, and the prospects so far are most flattering. The corn stands six 
feet high, and the wheat, oat and rye crop is extraordinary. This success is 
evidence of the real worth of the county, and the most skeptical should be 
convinced that crops can be raised in this section without irrigation. It is 
because of the prejudice against non-irrigation that these fertile lands are 
not so much in demand. The people here are enterprising and their suc- 
cess, in face of the general impression, that the so-called American desert is 
non-productive, will be a sufficient refutation of this idea. The total acre- 
age of grain is 19,800. Arapahoe county has large manufacturing inter-" 
ests. The value of manufactured goods in Denver alone for 1888 was over 
$30,000,000, including smelter products. Upon farms there is an assessed 
valuation of 17,000,000; railroads, |2, 000,000; merchandise, I3, 000,000; town 
and city lots, $40,000,000; cattle, $400,000; horses, $500,000. No finer school 
system exists anywhere than is at present in operation in Arapahoe county. 
The buildings are some of the most imposing to be found in the State, and the 
school census is sufficiently large to fill them. These fine buildings are not 
confined to Denver. By the generous provision of the Government, which 
sets aside two sections in a township for school purposes, the revenues are 
always large, and there is always money for the construction of buildings. 
The system is under the able supervision of trained teachers, and the stand- 
ard of education is as high in Arapahoe as may be found in the centers of 
learning in the Eastern States. 



w 



ARCHULETA. 

"ITH soil good for all farm and garden products, susceptible of 
agriculture and available from the San Juan river and local moun- 
tain streams, Archuleta is rapidly taking rank among the thrifty 
agriculture counties. It is situated on the southern boundary in the 
southwestern portion of the State, and, heretofore, has been strictly devoted 
to grazing. Its i,Soo square miles show a diversified surface over which the 
San Juan, Navajo, Blanco and Piedra rivers and their tributaries form 
a network of streams valuable for irrigation. The forests of yellow pine 
are the finest in the State, and the deep black loam is found to be 
favorable for all sorts of tree culture, whilst stock raising and farming are 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

the chief interests. A great deal of mining is done with profit. In 1885, 
when the county was taken from Conejos, the character of its people was 
altogether Mexican, but since immigration from Eastern vStates has set in, 
the population has increased to 1,000. At Pagosa Springs there is a fine 
court house, and the county supports four w^ell equipped public schools. 
As may be seen, this portion of the State is yet undeveloped, and from the 
character of the soil, products and climate, offers for the future a fruitful 
field for capital. The mineral springs are numerous and those at Pagosa 
are especially so, and the waters are of high medicinal quality. In agri- 
culture alone, the field is boundless. There are 400,000 acres of land 
available, of which 10,000 are under ditch, and the total number of acres 
devoted to grazing is 176,000. The ore, gold and silver, though low grade, 
is abundant and prospecting is still in progress with varied success. Both 
coal and iron are found in great quantities, in fact, fully one-third of the 
county is underlaid with large coal bodies running in veins of vast extent. 
The attention of capitalists is being drawn to these enormous beds and coal 
claims are being rapidly located. In addition to these natural products 
there is a white sandstone suitable for building purposes. Petroleum is 
found in large quantities and the lubricating fluid extracted, equals the 
product of the oil fields of the Ohio valley. For wealth of resources, 
salubrity of climate and the varied attractions that make up the sum total 
of all that is required to attract the eye of the coming settler, Archuleta 
county is bountifully provided. Whilst agriculture and the products of the 
soil are now receiving most attention, the old industry, stock raising, how- 
ever, is not diminishing. Upon the thousands of acres of government land 
fully 10,000 cattle ranged this season, and the estimated number of sheep 
grown for mutton and wool is 28,000. The county is penetrated by the D. 
& R. G. R. R. and 27 miles of the road have been completed. There are 
50 miles of irrigating canals and water sufficient to reclaim every foot of 
arable land. The rate of taxation is 2^]^ per cent. 



BACA. 

BACA county is of recent growth, having been separated from Las 
Animas, of which it was a part, until April, 1889. It receives its 
name from the first settler on Butte Creek, who is now one of the 
wealthy Mexican cattle men of Trinidad. The county seat is 
Springfield, an ambitious town near its center. With an area of 2,535 square 
miles, an abundance of water in the valleys, a rich soil, Baca county offers 
great inducements for the farmers. It is located in what is known as the 
rain belt, where crops of all kinds are raised without irrigation. Agricul- 
ture and stock raising are the only industries, and, though yet young, these 
are sufficient to support the thriving towns of Springfield, Brookfield, Vilas, 
Boston, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Stonington, Plymouth, Carriso and Carriso 
Springs. The popiilation is 4,000, and, as the nomenclature of the county 
indicates, the settlers are from the Mississippi valley and the New England 



^g COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

States. The}- are thrifty and industrious and under their husbandrj' the 
once arid waste is being rapidly reclaimed and made productive. For 1888 
the valuation was estimated at ^500,000 and the rate of taxation was $1.91. 
For the year succeeding, the estimate is not yet complete but it will show a 
great increase in valuation. The |i5,ooo debt was assumed as the county's 
proportion of the debt of Las Animas, of which it was once a part. For 
building material, there is an abundance of timber, and a light colored yet 
a durable rock is quarried from the hills. Coal is fovind in various parts of 
the county, and in the south-western portion, copper is being mined on a 
small scale. Silver, of a low grade, is also found in the south-west but no 
attempt has been made to develop this important discovery. The tot«< 
acreage available for agriculture is 1,420,720, or seven-eighths of the entire 
county, and the total acreage for grazing is 202,960. The total number of 
acres of public land unoccupied is 811,840, and the number of acres of un- 
sold State lauds available for agriculture is 21,400. The inducements to 
settlers in this county are free homes on government land, a healthful 
climate, a rich and productive soil, and plenty of water and timber. Though 
a young county, no complaint can be made in so far as educational 
facilities are concerned. There are twenty public schools with competent 
instructors, and church organizations as follows: Three Methodist-Episco- 
pal, two Baptist, one Catholic, one Presbyterian and one UniVersalist, and 
twenty Sabbath Schools. So far as can be ascertained, the total acreage 
of grain for 1889 is 7,000, yielding as follows: wheat, 20 bushels per acre; 
oats, 25; rye, 30; corn, 50. The average ruling price at the nearest market 
last year was: wheat, per bushel, $1; oats, 40 cts. ; rye, 80 cts. and corn, 
40 cts. The estimated product of butter for market for 1889 is 20,000 pounds. 
And the estimated revenue from market gardening is f;5,ooo, all of which 
product, cereals as well as truck, is consumed within the county. The 
estimated number of cattle, other than domestic, within the county for 1889 
is 15,000 head; horses, 500; sheep grown for mutton, 2,000; sheep grown for 
wool, 8,000; hogs, 600. 



BENT. 

BENT county has an area of 1,511 square miles, situated in the south- 
eastern part of the State, and watered by the Arkansas, Las Animas 
and other streams. It receives its name from Colonel William Bent, 
an early pioneer. Otero county bounds it on the west, Prowers on 
the east, Kiowa on the north and Las Animas on the south. Las Animas, a 
flourishing city with a |6o,ooo court house, is the county seat. This city has 
other large buildings, a |;i2,ooo hospital, a |7,ooo brick city hall, a |i2,ooo 
brick school house and other projected structures of equal size and im- 
portance. Bent is one of the counties of the rich Arkansas valley, bounti- 
fully provided with all that contributes to the prosperity of a community. 
The prairie is level. There is plenty of cedar timber, especially along the 
Arkansas and Purgatoire rivers and in the hills in the southwest. In these 
valleys there is nothing in the temperate zone that will not grow. The popu- 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 59 

lation is about S,ooo with 1,600 of this located at Las Animas. Fort Lyon, 
in the county has one regiment of United States troops and they contribute 
not a little to the general prosperity. So long has Bent county been a cattle 
country that the first inhabutants are all wealthy and the recent settlers find 
no difficulty in securing a livelihood. Stock raising has always been the chief 
industry, employing vast capital; with the coming of the immigrant, farming 
has become almost as important as cattle raising ever was. February, 1879, 
was the date the county was created, and the indebtedness is only 1:24,000, 
with a taxation of 3 per cent. All religious denominations flourish and the 
effect is manifest in the high moral tone of the community. There are six 
public schools, with a school census of 200. The information most important 
to new arrivals, however, is the question of land. The total acreage avail- 
able for agriculture, 700,000; available for grazing only, 26,700; total num- 
ber of acres of agricultural land now under ditch, 53,000. There are about 
400,000 acres of unoccupied government laud available for agriculture; also 
12,000 acres of unsold State land. On the grazing land there are 15,000 head 
of cattle; 2,500 head of horses; 7,500 head of sheep of which only 500 were 
raised for mutton. The hog product is 400 head this j-ear. Sand stone is 
plenty in this county, and oil is generally supposed to exist, though no effort 
has ever been made to find the oil. There is every reason why farming 
should be profitable in Bent county. It has plenty of streams for water and 
. whilst irrigation is not necessary to the extent, perhaps, that it is in other 
parts of this State for successful crops, yet there is considerable development 
in the ditch business. There are five canals and several private ditches, 
aggregating 65 miles. Facilities are afforded the settlers by the Atchison, 
Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, and by this channel the markets either east 
or west, are open for the distribution of produce. Mineral springs abound 
in the county and although little advertised they are growing in favor for 
their high medicinal virtues. The days are soon coming when Bent county 
will furnish the State with some of the finest resorts within her borders. In 
closing this sketch it will be of interest to state that Bent county has a good 
record in the manufacture of syrup. According to the reports there were 
last vear over 2,000 acres of sorghum raised, out of which 2,000 gallons of 
syrup were made. There were 3,000 acres of alfalfa sown and the crop ex- 
ceeded 15,000 tons. There were 30,000 acres in native grasses from which 
about 40,000 tons of hay were cut. This simply goes to show that side by 
side with live stock there are sources of wealth in this county to which cattle 
raising itself is no rival in any respect. Farming is destined to become a 
powerful factor in Bent county's growth, a fact which the cattlemen them- 
selves are not slow to recognize. 



70 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

BOULDER. 

BOULDER county lias a population of 18,000, and the county seat is 
Boulder with a population of 4,000, situated close to the foot-hills at 
the mouth of Boulder caiion. The court house and grounds cost 
$125,000, and the citj' is otherwise beautified by streets well shaded 
and a large number of handsome residences. The county of Boulder has 
an area of 1123 square miles, and was organized in 1861. The people are 
largel}^ from the Middle States. There is very little actual poverty, and the 
wealth of the county is almost equally distributed. The industries are min- 
•ing (coal and mineral), quarrying, mercantile and agriculture. The min- 
eral districts are divided into Grand Island, Magnolia, Ward, Gold Hill, 
Sugar Loaf, Central Mining and Boulder, and the general character of the 
formation shows gold and silver (native), tellurides of gold and silver, 
pyrites of copper and iron, silver ore containing all the sulphurates of silver, 
galena and zinc blend. These are in fissure formations and placer claims. 
In 1S59 the native gold discoveries occurred, and ten years later silver was 
found at Caribou. The estimated output for the county this year is ^650,000. 
For the treatment of this mineral, there are 26 stamp mills, two concen- 
trators, one electric reduction mill, and one sampling works ; the whole 
industry sustaining an estimated population of 10,000. Lyons, a town on 
tlie Denver, Utah and Pacific, has the most development in stone quarries. 
Other quarries have been opened at Gere Caiion and in the vicinity of Boul- 
der. The quality of the ctone is desirable for building, flagging and paving 
purposes. Along the foot-hills, through the county, there are vast beds of 
this stone, requiring only the capital for excavation. At Longmont, a city 
of 1,800 population, there is a flourishing canning factory and three flouring 
mills, and at Boulder, an iron foundry. At the latter place there is also a 
flouring mill with a capacity of 150 barrels of flour per day. The seltzer 
and mineral springs of the county are remarkable. Those at Springdale 
are grateful to consumptives, inasmuch as their altitude is but 6,500 feet. 
These springs are tonic waters, helpful in debility, rheumatism, liver and 
kidney ailments ; soda and iron are their leading constituents. Perhaps the 
most noted of the springs is the Boulder water, which has a sale throughout 
this country and Europe. The analysis as made by Dr. J. A. Sewall, of the 
Denver University, shows these constituents: Carbonate of soda, .984; car- 
bonate of magnesia, 6.020; carbonate of lime, 7.480; carbonate of iron, 
.o8t ; chloride of sodium, 30.217; chloride of potassium, i.ioo; sulphate of 
soda, 3.840; silica, .102; to the pint of mineral water, 49.824 grains; car- 
bonic acid gas, 39 cubic inches. This analysis shows these waters to be a 
complicated medical prescription, containing various salts blended together, 
obtained from the strata of rocks through which they pass. 

It is estimated that for the year 1889 there are in the county 2,505 dairy 
cows or a total of stock 17,353 head; horses, 6,190; sheep grown for mutton, 
460. The inducements offered to the settler are fruit culture, apiary busi- 
ness, quarrying, lime, agriculture, coal, gold and silver mining, and plenty 
of tiniber. The Union Pacific and the Burlington railroads vie with each 
other for traffic. Educationallv, the countv is well sustained. There are 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES 71 

fifty-two school districts with fifty-seven public schools. At Boulder city is 
located the Colorado University and the Benedictine Academy. The school 
census for the year is 3,699. The Congregational, Catholic, Episcopal, 
Methodist, Baptist, African M. E. Church, Presbyterian and Christian de- 
nominations each have their places of worship, and the buildings are all fine 
specimens of modern architecture. The estimated number of members 
of each denomination is 125. The county is well supplied with news- 
papers. 

The total acreage in grain for 1S89 in the county is 30,709 and the prob- 
able average yield per acre is as follows: Wheat, 30 bushels; oats, 40; rj'e, 
30; barley, 35; corn, 30. The average price for this is: Wheat, per bushel, 
90 cents; oats, 35; barley, 70; corn, 30. The total acreage in fruits for 1889 
is 575. The yield of raspberries for 18S9 is 20,575 quarts; grapes, 9,120 lbs.; 
currants, 37,920 quarts; strawberries, 31,235 quarts. The estimated product 
of butter is 312,180 pounds. The produce is marketed over the State. The 
average cost of water per acre per season is |;i.oo. ' \ 



CHAFFEE 

RECEIVES its name from the Hon. Jerome B. Chaffee and is a splen- 
did monument to his memory. It is one of the wealthy mid-State 
counties. The Continental Divide forms its western boundary. On 
the north is Lake county; on the east, Park and Fremont counties; 
and on the south is Saguache county. The Denver and Rio Grande. Colo- 
rado Midland and the Union Pacific S5-stems cross and recross the county. 
The important towns are Buena Vista, the county seat, Salida, INIaysfield, 
Garfield, Nathrop, Monarch, Centerville and Poncha Springs. Chaffee 
county was created in 1879 from a part of Lake county and in 1880 had 
6,500 population. The estimated population to-day is 15.000. Lying wathin 
a sort of a park between the Continental Divide on the west and the Park 
range on the east, the topographical aspect is that of a basin. But into this 
park this large population is gathered and they are thriving, perfectly con- 
tent with their lot. The county is exceptional in regard to climate; the 
beauty of its location and its rapidly increasing importance as an agricul- 
tural and miniiJg county give it added interest to the world in general. 
Through this vast park, or valley, the Arkansas river rushes and loses itself 
amid the picturesqueness and fertility of a smaller valley twenty-eight miles 
in length and twelve miles in breadth. It is here, Buena Vista, the county 
seat is located. , At various points, tributary streams from the surrounding 
mountains cross this park and empty into the river. It has been estimated 
by the careful computation of an experienced engineer that there are 100,000 
acres of land available, when under irrigation, for agricultural purposes and 
350,000 which furnish a good range for stock within the confines of this 
valley. Five miles westward cf Buena Vista rise the celebrated trinity of 
college peaks, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, while the distant view south- 
ward is limited by the snowy summits of the Sangre de Cristo range. In this 



72 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

vicinity are also the celebrated Cottouwood Springs; an analysis of the water 
shows carbonate of soda, carbonate of magnesia, carbonate of lithia, car- 
bonate of lime, iodine, sulphate of soda, chloride of sodium and silica, and 
their efl&cacy in cases of rheumatism, lead poisoning, cutaneous diseases and 
general debility is now well proven. Nine miles from Buena Vista, in a 
south westerl}' direction, are the Haywood Hot Springs, similar in nature to 
the Cottonwood Springs. Twenty miles from Buena Vista are the celebrated 
Twin Ivakes, of whose beauty many tongues have sung and many pens have 
written. Silver, copper and gold mines are located in the southern part of 
the count}', and here are the quarries from which the granite for the Topeka 
State capitol was cut. Hancock and Pine Creek have the gray granite quar- 
ries; Nathrop, the lava stone deposit; and the dolomite and marble at Calumet. 
All these stones have a fixed value in the market and the demand is increas- 
ing as they grow in favor for building purposes. In Chaffee county there are 
53,000 acres of land with a valuation of ^141, 956, and the improvements 
exceed ^99.623. There are 172 miles of railroad, with a valuation of 
$1,444,146. As a grazing county, Chaffee is not deficient. Her valuation 
for cattle is 178,324 whilst her mines are $94,981. The total valuation is 
$2,650,467. So far as her mining industries are concerned, they continue to 
show advancing prosperity. In gold, the county produced $393,456.69 last 
year; silver, coinage value, $482,886,93; total, gold and silver, $876,343.62; 
lead, 477,086.78; copper, $17,032.41; total value of production for 1888, 
$1,370,462.81. This year these figures will be greatly increased, The con- 
dition of Chaffee county, as shown in the foregoing, speaks for itself. For 
investment it presents unquestioned inducements and the prospects are that 
her interests will be still further increased by a large influx of capital within 
the next twelve months. 



CHEYENNE. 

1IKE the counties of Bent and Elbert, of which Cheyenne county was a 
part, its million of acres are devoted to farming and stock raising. 
J It is one of the recently organized counties, dating its birth with the 
current year. Its eastern boundary is the State line of Kansas, and 
Kit Carson, I^iacoln and Kiowa counties bound it on the north, west, and 
south, respectively. There are 1,800 square miles, and from its contiguity 
to Kansas, much of its population is the overflow from the bordering coun- 
ties of that State. There are a number of streams, the principal of these 
being the Big Sandy, which winds its way along a well-timbered valley. 
The population is about 500, of marked industry and an ambition to pro- 
gress that promises well for the towns of Cheyenne Wells and Kit Car.son, 
and the settlements generally. The valuation on properly is fixed at 
$1,750,000, with rate of taxation of 25 mills. The debt is $18,000. For a 
new county, Cheyenne has prospered fully as well as any of her recently 
admitted sisters. There are five schools, of the value of $6,000. Three 
denominations. Catholic, Methodist and Baptist. Of the 1,200,000 acres of 
land, over 1,000,000 acres are available for agriculture, leaving but 100,000 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 73 

for grazing purposes. Of this area 100,000 acres is government land, and 
64,000 represents the acreage in unsold State lands. The discovery of gas, 
in 18S7, has awakened interest in this direction, and the presumption is that 
underlying the most of the territory there is an inexhaustible supply of 
natural gas. The Union Pacific railroad traverses the county and has 
opened up quite a prosperous section. Good soil, a healthful climate, plenty 
of water, free land in abundance, and an unsurpassed range for stock rais- 
ing are the inducements offered to settlers. Within the last year farming- 
has obtained a firm footing. The total acreage in grain is 2,000, producing 
as follows: wheat, 23 bushels; oats, 45; rye, 36; barley, 38; corn, 55. Last 
year the ruling price at market was as follows: wheat, 85 cts. per bushel; 
oats, 45 cts ; rye, 50 cts. ; barley, 45 cts. and corn, 50 cts. The total num- 
ber of acres in fruit is fifteen. Over 10,000 pounds of butter were made 
and sold this year. And the garden truck produced was disposed of at a 
large figure. Being within the rain belt the county has no irrigation, though 
water can be obtained very readilj' for reservoirs. The peculiarity of its nu- 
merous streams is that whilst superficially dry, there is a subterranean flow 
which needs only to be properly tapped to give the couutrj' all the irrigation 
needed. It is estimated that there are fullj^ 1,000 springs which assist in 
keeping the Big Sand}- a living stream a distance of over 200 miles through 
some of the richest land in the State. The stock interests still flourish. It 
is estimated that there are 4,000 head upon the range; over 1,000 head of 
sheep were raised this year for mutton, and over 4,000 for wool. 



CLEAR CREEK. 

THIS is one of the wealthiest as well as one of the oldest of Colorado's 
county organizations. Twenty- two years ago it was separated from 
Jefferson county. The county seat is Georgetown, and is provided 
with a palatial court house and a brick structure for jail purposes. 
The county also supports here a poor farm. As is generally known, mining 
is the vocation of the population, which exceeds 7,000. The county seat 
alone has 2,000 people; Silver Plume, 700, and Idaho Springs, 1,800. Being 
essentially a mining community, the population is distinctively cosmopolitan. 
They are drawn hither from mining countries the world over. The county 
debt is 140,000, and the valuations f 1,900,000, with a tax rate of 3>i per cent. 
Gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and iron are mined. Among the mines will 
be recognized some well known producers. There are about 175 in operation, 
including the Terrible mine and Pelican-Dives, two of the first discoveries. 
During the last year the well defined mines to produce were the Contact, 
Daisy and Poor Man's Relief. The ore is principally found in the regular 
fissure veins. The output for the entire county this j'e.ir was |;i, 100,000, 
giving employment and sustenance to over 3,000 people. This includes 
the working forces at the fifty or more stamp mills, etc. The future 
of this county in a mining sense is assured, and the producing prospects 
extremely good. Not only is it a mining county, but in its valleys and along 

10 



74 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

the foot hills there are some verj^ rich agriculture lands of which i,ooo acres 
are available, and the remaining 2,000 suitable for grazing. Stone and lime 
are found here in quantities inexhaustable, and the facilities given for ready 
intercourse with the commercial world make Clear Creek county a desirable 
place for investment. The railroads are the Colorado Central, and the 
Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville roads. As a place of health 
resorts, it is second to none in the State, that of Idaho Springs especially 
having already achieved a world-wide celebrity-. But mining will always be 
the chief industry. There are now 143 paying mines, and this number will 
be greatly increased as development progresses. 



CONEJOS. 

IN Spanish the word Conejos is "rabbit," and to the fact that the country 
twenty years ago, was overrun with these animals, is due this application 
of the word when the county was organized at that time. The Rio 
Grande bounds Conejos on the east and north, and the summit of the 
Conejos range marks the line which divides it from Archuleta on the west. 
At Conejos, on the south bank of the Conejos river, is located the county seatr 
where is soon to be built a commodious court house of native red lava rock. 
Timber is plenty and the valleys of the Rio Grande, San Antonio, Conejos, 
I/a Jara and the Alamosa rivers are fertile in the extreme. Ttere is a mixed 
population of Mexicans and Americans, numbering 6,000. The chief towns 
are Alamosa, Manassa, Antonito, Conejos, I^a Jara and a number of Mexican 
plazas. The chief feature physical!}^ of Conejos county is the mineral 
deposits, which are found in leads and placers, carrying gold and silver. The 
first discovery was made at Conejos camp in 1881, but the latest and most 
remarkable discovery since that of the L,eadville carbonates was made in 
April of 1S89, at the Antonito carbonate camp. It was a carbonate forma- 
tion carrying gold and silver, and so rich is it that one man, it is stated, can 
pan from $3.00 to fo.oo per day. It is not, however, free milling altogether, 
and it will require smelters for treatment, and these are now on the ground 
and will soon be in operation. The tract for agriculture is about thirty by 
forty-four miles in extent, and the foot hills and mountain sides are set down 
as the only grazing lands. There are fifteen schools in the county, which do 
not include the Conejos Academy and the Huntington Seminary. The papers 
of the county are weekly and are prosperous and widely read. Irrigating 
canals several hundred miles in extent are constructed, and the Denver and 
Rio Grande railroad passes through the county. Conejos has over |;2, 000,000 
taxable property; the rate of taxation is ^2.50 on the |:ioo; the debt does 
not exceed f 120,000, and is bonded for twenty years at .seven per cent. 
There are 33,000 acres in grain this year, the average yield of which will 
run wheat, 27 bushels; oats, 61; rye, 43; barley, 54. Lastyear the prices which 
ruled were, wheat, per bushel 80 cents; oats, 62; rye, 75, and barley, 50. Seven- 
teen thousand pounds of butter were made this year, and 700 podnds of 
cheese. The estimated product of gardening was $2,100. The surplus of 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 75 

this was marketed in New Mexico and Western Colorado, bringing the prices- 
above quoted. The average cost of water per acre, per season is ;Ji.oo, or a 
perpetual water right for i6o acres is |8oo. The estimated number of cattle 
this year is 5,846 head, other than domestic; horses 2,473; estimated number 
of sheep grown for mutton 13,228; estimated number grown for wool 13,228; 
hogs 500. In almost any part of the county on low land, artesian wells are 
struck at a depth of 55 to 100 feet, and the water is very cold and soft. The 
Catholics have seven churches; Espiscopalians two; Presbyterians four, and 
Methodists one; each with a denominational following, to wit: Catholic 
3,000; Episcopal 600; Presbyterian 600, and Methodist 400. 



COSTILLA. 

HAPPY and contented are the people of this mountain county. The 
crop prospect is most flattering. More than 100,000 acres are 
planted in grain and the yield will be: Wheat, 30 bushels; oats, 60 
bushels; rye, 30 bushels; barley, 35 bushels; the prices ruling high, 
as follows: Wheat 90 cents per bushel, oats 70 cents per bushel, rye 90 cents- 
per bushel, barlej' 90 cents per bushel and corn ^i.oo per bushel. It is from 
Costilla county that New Mexico and the mountain districts get their supply 
of truck and fruit. Costilla is Mexican for "ribs." It is the county of the 
fertile vSan Luis Valle}' . vSan Luis is the county seat where is built a court 
house and a jail made of adobe years ago. In the eastern part are great 
mountain forests and the water supply comes from the San Luis Lake, the 
Saguache, San Luis, Cotton and Dead Man's creeks on the north, and the 
Trinchero creek flows through the central part of the count}'. The soil i.s 
a rich sandy loam that responds bountifully to the touch. About 5,000 is 
the population and the principal towns are San Liiis, Fort Garland, Garnett 
and Zapato. Stockraising is a large industry. There is here a large Mexi- 
can population, but the Americans came principally from the New Bngland 
States. The valuation for this 3-ear is over ;f 1,000,000. There is no debt and 
warrants are at par. The irrigating canals exceed 100 in number, of wliich 
there are more than 500 miles in the aggregate. The D. & R. G. is the only 
railroad in the county. vSheep raisin* is an important factor. At least 14,- 
000 head were grown this year for wool. 



CUSTER. 

CUSTER county was taken from Fremont in 1877. It is named in honor 
of General Custer, killed by the Indians at the Big Horn disaster- 
Greenhorn, Wet and Red Mountains are the ranges. The county is 
forty by thirty miles in extent and within this area there is consider- 
able mineral. Of the thirty mines in the county, seven are producing and the 
product is about |;6oo,ooo of gold and silver. Lead, however, is the chief 
staple article, aggregating in value last year to 1263,078.40. The total out- 



76 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

put for the county is 1268,918.63. For its size, Custer is oue of the most 
thickly populated of the counties and the people are prosperous. Silver 
Cliff, Rosita, Querida and West Cliff are the principal towns, the latter 
being the terminus of the eastern branch of the Denver and Rio Grande rail- 
road. Anteloj)e, Grape and other creeks furnish water for the fertile area 
devoted to agricultural purposes. In this area, under cultivation, there are 
58,187 acres, with a valuation of |i55,4i3, and a valuation on the improve- 
ments of ^189,469. The valuation on cattle is $145,000; on horses, |i 10,000; 
and on mines the valuation is over $130,000. The entire valuation exceeds 
f 1,000,000. As may be seen bj- these figures, the live stock industry is the 
principal support of the county, doubling in valuation that of the mines. 
The prosperous condition of this industry is due to the exceedingly favorable 
climate, the abundance of water and the other natural advantages of Wet 
Mountain valley. The stock raised is not altogether bred for range pur- 
poses but considerable attention is devoted to fancy breeding. The effect 
of this is seen in the higher character Custer county raised stock has attained 
in the markets of the State. Whilst the mineral resources of the county 
have not been developed very extensively within the last few years there 
is, however, a vast quantity of mineral. Capital is required for development 
work, and money so expended will not fail to bring satisfactory returns. 



DELTA. 

IN 1883 this count)' was formed from a part of Gunnison, and took its 
name from the county seat of Delta, so-called from its peculiar location 
at the junction of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre rivers. The popu- 
lation is about 4,000, of which Delta has 500. The soil is adobe and a 
sandy loam; the hills are covered with pine, spruce, quaking asp and cedar 
and the valleys with cottonwood timber. Plentifully watered by a score of 
rivers and creeks, the county affords ample facilities for ranching and graz- 
ing. The debt is $48,000, and the valuation is $950,000, double that of the 
year of its organization. The present rate of taxation outside of town levy 
is thirty-four mills. There are fifteen Sthools with 650 scholars, three church 
buildings and fotn denominations, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and 
Seventh Daj' x\dventists. The total acreage available for agriculture is 60,- 
^000 acres; the acreage available for grazing 800,000; the acreage under ditch 
16,000. There are great beds of undeveloped coal and a fine quality of 
sandstone is abundant. The coal fields are thirty-five by fifty miles in ex- 
tent, partly in Gunnison and Mesa but mostly in Delta county. Here the 
veins run from two to fifteen feet in thickness. The future of this industry 
is good. A portion of this coal is for coking purposes. There are about 100 
irrigating canals aggregating in length 500 miles. The county is tapped by 
the D. & R. G. R. R. The sanitary inducements for health seekers is good, 
the climate being mild in winter. Large lakes are found on the mesas, where 
fish are abundant. There is one cheese factor}' and one flouring mill. A 
«;reat many cattle are raised. There are on the range now 18.000 head and 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 77 

3,000 head of sheep. The total acreage of grain this year is 4,600, the yield 
of which will be large. Wheat per bushel brings seventy-five cents; oats, 
forty-five; rj^e, twenty-five; barley, seventy-five, and corn, seventy. There 
are also 300 acres of fruit. Raspberries were grown to the extent of 2,000 
quarts; grapes, ten tons; currants, 3,000 quarts; strawberries, 6,000 quarts. 
The butter product exceeds 28,000 pounds and five tons of cheese were made. 
The product finds a ready market in the mining towns. The cost of water 
per acre per season is $1.50. 



DOLORES. 



HERE the agricultural interests have but a weak foothold, although in 
the western part there is a large quantity of fertile land. The 
county is one-third mountainous, and consequently the chief source 
of wealth is the mining industr}-. In the eastern portion there are 
forests of quaking asp and spruce timber. The valleys of the East and 
West Dolores rivers are rich and well populated, and like the average of 
mountain counties, there is an abundance of water in the creeks. Rico, the 
county seat, is the most important town, and has an altitude of 8,500 feet. 
In extent, the county has over 900 square miles, and supports a population 
of 1,000, mostly from the Eastern States, and composed largely of a class 
of people who drift to a mining country. Dolores was created in 1881 from 
the southern part of Ouray county. The valuation at that time was ^345,000. 
For 1889 the valuation is 1500,000, with a tax rate of 55 mills and a 
debt of 183,000. The general character of the mineral formation is lime, 
phorphry and some quartzite. The veins are fissure and contact. In 187S the 
first ore discovery was made, and the product now is mostly silver. There 
is some gold in the ore. The Pioneer and the Lone Cone are the mining 
districts, with six well developed mines. The output this year is f 1,000,000, 
largely silver. There is one concentrator and one reduction works, and the 
prospect for mining is flattering. Coal is found in the sandstone formation 
and the iron that abounds is onh- used for flux for smelting. Coal mining 
is yet in its infancy. There are great beds on both sides of Dolores river 
and in the vicinity Rico. The banks at Grand View and at Pasadena are 
the only extensive developments thus far made. Last year the output was 
about 3C0 tons. West;of Rico are the unoccupied public lauds, all of which 
are available for agriculture. Brick clay is plentiful and there are immense 
quantities of lime and good building stone. The Hot Springs on the West 
Dolores, about twelve miles from Rico, are medicinal and the virtues that 
have made the waters of other watering places in the State celebrated, are 
claimed for those of Dolores. The climate is delightful. Upon the con- 
struction of the proposed railroad, the lumber interest will become a strong 
inducement for investment. The estimated number of cattle, other than 
domestic, is 4,726, which represents the grazing industry. 



78 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

DOUGLAS. 

DOUGLAS is a well watered and wooded count}- lying between Arapa- 
hoe county on the north and El Paso county on the south. Platte 
river bounds it on the west and on the east lies the flourishing 
county of Elbert. The soil is a sand> loam adapted to farming and 
stockraising and has a valuation of over 12,000,000. There is no debt except 
that of |i8,ooo incurred by the issue of bonds to construct a new court house 
at Castle Rock, the county seat. At the organization of the Territory, Doug- 
las county was created and named in honor of Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois. 
The population is 4,000, the principal towns being Castle Rock and Sedalia. 
The people are prosperous and happy. At Russellville, on Cherry creek, is 
where gold was discovered in early days and the placers have only been worked 
spasmodically since. The ore is well distributed and will not pay to be 
worked. There are thirty public schools in the county of aggregate value 
of |2o,ooo. The school census is 850. Denominationally, the community 
is evenly distributed among the Methodist, Episcopal and Catholic churches. 
Three-fourths of all the lands are available for agriculture and the remain- 
ing fourth is grazing land only. Irrigation ditches are not much in demand 
owing to the frequent falls of rain. Douglas is one of the counties to which 
the rain belt theorists point as an exemplification of the fact that crops can 
be raised in Colorado successfully without irrigation. The yield per acre this 
year as estimated will be: Wheat, 25 bushels; oats, 40 bushels; rye, 30 bushels; 
barley, 40 bushels; corn 50 bushels. Fruit culture is becoming a success, es- 
pecially the apple and other temperate zone varieties. Raspberries, grapes, 
currants and strawberries are also raised with profit. Plenty of soft coal is 
found in the different parts of the county but it is not extensively worked. 
Lava stone of different colors is quarried. It is a fine building material. 
The Highline canal runs through the county on its way towards Denver; 
and extending across the county from north to south are the Denver and 
Rio Grande and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe roads; the Denver, 
Texas and Fort Worth crosses the county in the northeast and on the south- 
east, and along the southeast is located the Denver and South Park, making 
in all about 100 miles of railroad. There is no alkali, the water is pure and 
the elevation is such as to make Douglas a desirable sanitarium. The county 
supports several flour and lumber mills, and the butter and cheese factories 
have plenty of business. The inducements for settlers are: A splendid 
farming and dairying country; a healthful climate, with soil and water un- 
surpassed. The markets in Denver are easily reached and the social condi- 
tions of the commtinity are desirable. 



EAGLE. 

THE county takes its name from Eagle river. It has 2,000 square miles 
and 5,000 inhabitants. The Eagle and Grand rivers and their tribu- 
taries water the soil abundantly, hence the heavy growth of timber 
and the adaptation of the valleys for agriculture. The soil is a 
fertile .'^andv loam with a sub-soil of gravel. Red Cliff, the county seat, has 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 79 

500 population. The other important towns are Gilman and Mitchell. 
Since 1S83, when it was created from Summit, the county has prospered. 
The valuation is $1,500,000; the rate of taxation 3^% per cent., and the debt 
1130,000. Gold, silver and lead have been mined successfully since 1879. 
The districts are Taylor Hill, Holy Cross, Eagle, Battle Mountain, Wilkin- 
son, Lake Creek and Brush Creek. This 3'ear the output is estimated at 
I3, 000,000, the product of 100 mines. Never in the history of the county 
has there been such an activit}'^ in mining as at present. The future for 
Eagle is full of encouragement and hope. The total acreage available for 
agricultmre is 20,000, and the whole county is good for grazing purposes. 
There are 5,000 acres now under ditch. There are several thousand acres of 
government land and the school lands which are good for agriculture remain 
unsold. There are 10,000 head of cattle and 2,000 head of horses upon the 
range, and 500 sheep were grown this 5'ear for mutton. Eagle county has 
twelve public schools of the value of $6,000, and a school census of 350. 
The churches are Methodist and Congregational, and there are foiir non-de- 
nominational Sabbath schools. Eagle county has 3,000 acres under irriga- 
tion and over 2,000 acres for pasture. One thousand bushels of wheat were 
raised last year from thirty-eight acres; 37.000 bushels of oats from 800 
acres; 1,000 bushels of barley from thirty -seven acres; 200 bushels of rye 
from seven acres. From 127 acres 18,000 bushels of potatoes were raised; 
native grass, 2,151 tons were produced from 2,483 acres. Alfalfa grows well, 
and the dairy business is good. There are 2,000 head of horses in the county 
and 9,000 head of cattle. Markets for these products are found in the min- 
ing towns of the surrounding country and the ruling prices are good. 



ELBERT. 

ELBERT has 1,854 square miles, about one-third of which is railroad 
land. It was organized in 1874 and named in honor of Goveruor 
Samuel H. Elbert. Agriculture and grazing are the industries, the 
ranches are fine, the cattle fat and plenty, there is plenty of water, 
and timber grows everywhere in abundance. It is one of the pi-omising 
counties of the great divide country. The loam soil is rich and deep, the 
surface undulating, and crops are produced without irrigation, equal in size 
and quality to crops gathered in any part of the State. The population is 
2,800, and the most important town is Elizabeth, a place of 500 population, 
located on the Denver, Texas and Ft. Worth railroad. The other towns are 
Elbert and Kiowa, the latter being the county seat. The peculiarity of the 
people is that residents of six years and more are all wealthy, and the late 
settlers are prosperous and contented. The assessment is $2,500,000, and 
the rate of taxation is 15 mills on the dollar. The county never had any 
debt. There are 2,000,000 acres of land available for agriculture, of which 
986,560 are for grazing purpose. Gold is found in the gulches which were 
worked more than twenty years ago. but the placers have since been 
abandoned. There is coal in abundance, principally at the mouth of Hay 
Gulch, Kiowa Creek and on the Bijou and Sandy Creek. The total number 



gQ COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

of acres of unoccupied public laud is 150,000, and an equal number of un- 
sold State lands. There are six irrigating canals, twenty miles in exteiit. 
The Rock Island, Union Pacific and the Denver, Texas and Ft. Worth rail- 
roads cross the county. The scenery is picturesque, especially in the 
vicinity of Elizabeth, where the Denver, Texas and Ft. Worth railroad con- 
templates the erection of a hotel and otherwise improving the place for the 
benefit of tourists of Texas and other Southern States. The country here is 
rolling, heavily timbered and populous, with a wealthy class of ranchmen 
who have fine farms and plenty fine stock. There are also alum and sul- 
phur springs in the vicinity, charged with medicinal virtues. Elbert has 
always been considered the banner grazing coimty, from the mildness of its 
winters, the abundance of water and the plentitude of the nutritious grasses; 
but the farmer has fenced in the range, and while the domain of the cattle- 
men has been restricted, the industry yet flourishes. This year there are 
55,000 head of cattle in the county ; 5,000 head of horses and 60,000 head 
of sheep. Socially, the people are intelligent, and are largely settlers from 
the Atlantic border States. There are sixteen public schools, with a census 
of 514, and school property worth $10,000. The Methodist, Campbellite, 
Presbyterian and Catholic churches flourish, and the latter has in course of 
construction a fine stone edifice at Elizabeth. A creamery and a race track 
are also being built at this place. Near Elbert, the second flourishing town, 
are several ranches of blooded stock, notably, that of Birks Cornforth. 



EL PASO. 

THIS is the county of Pike's Peak, of Manitou, and of Colorado 
Springs. It is one of the best advertised sections in the West, as may 
seen by the volume of travel w^hich pours constantly in from the East 
and South. No other county has such a wealth of natural attractions. 
What these are is known to the reading world by means of the railroad 
folder and by other railroad advertising. El Paso derives its name from the 
Mexican words "the pass," which were more significant in the days of the 
county's organization than at present, when Colorado City stood at the very 
gate to the mystic region on the Western Slope. Colorado City was at that 
time the capitol of the territory, and when that honor was taken from it the 
town sunk into apath}^, and in a broken hearted fashion barely existed until 
the completion of the Colorado Midland, when the erection of the shops 
brought new life and converted the dead village into a bustling cit}-, rival- 
ing- in energy the proud sister city a few miles distant. Manitou, also has 
grown until now its praises are sung wherever the English tongue is spoken. 
Here the soda springs, the iron and the sulphur bubble up in the street, and 
through the summer months thousands upon thousands of tourists, invalids 
and sight-seers gather to sip the healing waters. Colorado Springs is the 
second city in Colorado. It, too, is favored as a health resort, and is quite a 
sanitarium. Great wealth is concentrated here, to which is due perhaps the 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. gl 

fact that Colorado Springs is one of the most attractive, as well as most 
healthful, cities in the countrj^. It has opera houses, magnilicent hotels 
and railroad facilities in abundance. In man}' respects the count}- proper is 
similar to Elbert. The soil is rich, a portion of the middle half is well irri- 
gated, and a part of the agricultural lands is located on the divide. Here 
most everything grows. Potatoes and corn yield enormously, and rye and 
sorghum are raised with profit. In the eastern part there is a great quantity 
of range upon which 40,000 head of cattle graze, and 1,150 horses; the esti- 
mated number of sheep raised this year is 115,000, of which 80,000 were 
raised for wool. The Denver, Texas and Fort Worth extends from north to 
south through the center, and running from east to west is the Rock Island. 
The Denver and Rio Grande, Missouri Pacific and Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe cross the county at the western end. The county is peculiary rich 
in coal. At Franceville, on the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth, there are 
large mines operated profitably and the supply is inexhaustible. In El 
Paso county there are 26,000 acres under irrigation, and the aggregate for 
pasture is 355,248 acres. From 312 acres 6,000 bushels of wheat were raised; 
from 2,892 acres 59,000 bushels of oats were raised; from 148 acres 3,000 
bushels of barley were grown; from 462 acres 5,165 bushels of rye were 
grown; from 700 acres over 20,000 bushels of corn were grown; from 1,979 
acres 158,975 bushels of potatoes; from 286 acres 508 tons of timothy; from 
80 acres 119 tons of clover; from 8,708 acres 9,152 tons of native grass; from 
1,037 acres 3,779 tons of alfalfa. Small fruits grow in abundance, and the 
quality is finer than can be raised anywhere in the East. Over 100,000 
pounds of butter were produced last year, and cheese 17,000 pounds. The 
honey produced bv the apiaries exceed 2,000 pounds. Sheep and cattle 
raising form a great industry. Last year the clip in wool was 526,295, and 
the number of sheep 95,000; cattle, 40,000 head; horses, 6,000 head; cows, 
1,700 head. The total valuation of the county based upon the assessor's 
reports is 18,624,845; the estimated valuation 125,874,535, of which the 
assessed valuation is 11,789,450 upon railroads and |i, 391, 535 "pon land and 
improvements. 



FREMONT. 



HERE is the chief source of Colorado's great supply of oil. In other 
respects it is a prosperous county. Farming, stockraising, horti- 
culture, wells and refineries and coal mining all add to its great 
wealth. It is one of the original counties; has 1,559 square miles 
and was named in honor of General Fremont, the "pathfinder." Its popu- 
lation is 10,000. Canon City, the home of the penitentiary and the county 
seat of the county, has 3,500 inhabitants; Coal Creek, 1,500; Rockvale, 1,100, 
Florence, 1,000; Williamsburg, 600. The public buildings at Caiion City 
are built of stone, the county buildings alone costing $35,000. Two-thirds 
of the county is covered with forests of pine and spruce, in the western 



82 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

part, and pinon, cedar and cottonwood on the river bottoms. The Arkan- 
sas river runs through the whole length of the county, which, together 
with the numerous creeks, is sufficient to water every foot of the tillable 
land. The soil is of sandy loam, excellent for horticulture. The records 
in 1870 were burned and in consequence the valuations date back only to 
that time, when the figures were given as f 399, 000, with a sixteen mill tax. 
The valuation this year is ^3,122,000, and the debt ^80,000. The minerals 
are mostly low grade; copper and lead are rich, but gold, silver and nickel 
are yet undeveloped. Near Canon City there are large quantities of 
kaoline. There are mountains of iron which in the future will prove remu- 
nerative whenever worked. An extra quality of bituminous coal is mined, 
with an output last year of 500,000 tons. This is the product of eight 
mines. The extent of the principal beds covers an area of two townships. 
This industry supports 3,500 people and every year adds to its wealth. 
There is very little unoccupied laud available for agriculture and almost all 
the available State lands are in the hands of companies. The Beaver Land 
Company alone has 200,000 acres under the reservoirs and ditches of that 
corporation. There are carriage factories, a roller process flour mill, a 
brewery with about ^565,000 capital, a bottling works and two oil refineries. 
The sandstone quarries, limestone and cement are resources of promise. 
Oil, however, is the wonder in the line of natural resources. There are 
thirty producing wells of a capacity of 1,200 barrels per day. These are at 
Florence, a flourishing town, which derives its support and growing wealth 
from the petroleum field of that vicinity. Fremont county furnishes the 
illuminating fluid for the State, and the crude material is used for manufac- 
turing purposes. The entire product, crude and refined, finds a ready sale 
throughout the adjoining States and Territories and the supply hardly 
equals the demand. Fremont county has five irrigating canals aggregating 
thirty-seven miles in length; and the Denver and Rio Grande and the Pueblo 
and Arkansas Valley railroads with 125 miles of trackage give the people 
transportation facilities. There are hot springs and strongly impregnated 
mineral waters at Caiion City, where also may be had good accommodations 
for invalids and tourists'. The county has twenty-five public schools with a 
school census of 2,500; all denominations exist and the church buildings are 
models of architecture. Grain has a total acreage this year of 1,200 acres, 
with a yield per acre, as follows: Wheat, 30 bushels; oats, 40 bushels; corn, 
30 bushels. There are 700 acres in fruit, with 8,000 apple bearing trees; 500 
peach trees; 600 pear trees; 1,000 plum trees; and 500 cherrj^ trees. The 
estimated 3-ield this 3'ear in raspberries is 4,000 quarts; grapes, 75 tons; cur- 
rants, 30,000 quarts; and strawberries, 120,000 quarts. The butter product 
is 12,000 pounds. Upon market gardening, it is estimated that $20,000 was 
realized. The average cost of water per acre per season is I2.50. Grazing 
still holds its own as an industry, with 20,000 head of cattle and 2,000 head 
of horses upon the range as an indicator of general prosperity. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. g3 

GARFIELD. 

IN 1S83 this county was created from the southwestern part of Summit 
county, and named in honor of President James A. Garfield. It is two- 
thirds mountainous, and the remainder abounds in running streams 
and fertile valleys. .The soil is a sandy loam, capable of a high state 
of cultivation. With a popuiation of 5,000, it is forging ahead as one of the 
most prosperous of the Pacific slope counties. Glenwood Springs is the 
county seat, with a population of 2,700. New Castle has 500, and Carbondale 
200. When the county was organized, the valuation was f 40, 000, and the tax 
31 ''^ mills. In 1888, the tax was 29^ mills, and the valuation, ^2,608,000. 
The debt is f 140,000. There is an inexhaustable supply of coal, the mining 
of which sustains over 2,000 people. The mines are ten in number, and the 
work of development is progressing with unabated vigor. The product is 
largely bituminous, and is excellent for coking. It is asserted by good an. 
thority that while the coal deposits are vast the supply of oil in the future 
will prove the chief source of Garfield county's wealth. The discovery of 
both coal and oil was made in 1878; but little was done toward development 
until five years ago. Since the output of coal has been increasing, and with 
more railroad facilities will soon become enormous. The lack of capital alone 
prevents the speedy development of the petroleum fields. There are lead 
ores caiTying silver, but the}^ have not been worked with any profit. The 
building of a smelter to treat the Aspen and Red Cliff ore, will doubtless 
turn capital in this direction. Twenty-five per cent, of the whole area is 
available for agricultmre, and sixty-five per cent, is grazing land, well stocked 
with cattle. There are 50,000 acres under ditch, bearing grain, hay and small 
fruit, the raising of which has been a success. The Denver and Rio Grande 
and the Midland railroads cross the county, with 100 miles of trackage. 
Glenwood Springs is one of the most noted resorts for invalids in the country, 
rivaling in popularity the famous Hot Springs of Arkansas. There are ten 
large springs and a large number of smaller, the largest of which has an out- 
flow of 4,000 gallons per minute. From the ten springs, there is an outflow 
of 8,000 gallons per minute. The Yampa, the largest of the group, is located 
on what was once an island in the river channel, but is now converted into 
a garden in the midst of which are the mammoth bath houses. These 
springs are more than twent)- times as copious as the Hot Springs at Arkansas. 
They are alkaline, saline, sulphuric, chalybeate, caloric and thermal. The 
extreme temperature of the water is 126.4 degrees. The number of 
grains of solid contents or minerals, to the gallon, varies from 1.243 to 1.254, 
while the next strongest spring in the United States is at Las Vegas, where 
there are 60)4 grains to the gallon. Thus it will be seen that these springs 
possess in a marked degree, the qualities of six out of the seven classes of 
mineral springs in the United States. One of the most wonderful of the 
springs is that found in a natural cave in the mountain side. The cave is 
fifteen feet high, and forms a large chamber with solid stone walls. The hot 
spring in the cave furnishes a natural Russian bath, which cannot be excelled. 
The sanitarium feature alone will make Garfield a great county. The Denver 
and Rio Grande, and the Colorado Midland give railroad facilities, and the 



84 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

latter road with its Utah extension, runs on through the county to the White 
River, in the northwest. The other prominent towns are Carbondale and 
New Castle, in the center of the coal bearing: fields. 



GILPIN 



T T TAB named after the first Governor of Colorado, the Hon. 
1 /\ / William Gilpin, now living in Denver at a ripe old age, full of 
Y Y honors. " The Kingdom of Gilpin" is the popular term by which 
it is known, so called from its exceeding richness in gold and 
its enormous mineral output from year to year. Geographically it is 
located a little north of Central Colorado. Its boundaries are Jefferson on 
the east, Clear Creek on the south, Clear Creek and Grand counties on the 
west, and Boulder on the north. It is situated directly in the gold and silver 
belt. Its popiilation is 7,000, of which Central City, the county seat, has 
3,000; Black Hawk, 1,540; Nevadaville, 1,185; Russell Gulch, 200. The 
population is from all parts of the Union. Gilpin was formed from the 
mountain territory of Jefferson county, working under the provisional gov- 
ernment, and was reorganized by the first Territorial Legislature in 1861. 
Russell Gulch, an iinimportant place at present, was one of the objective points 
for the gold hunters, and later, after the country thereabouts became more 
thickly populated, as richer strikes followed, that section of the State be- 
came the scene of many exciting episodes. Miners' comts promulgated all 
the law that was recognized at that time, and the justice then dispensed 
was of a character that demanded respect. From this rough condition was 
this splendid county hewn. Its estimated valuation now exceeds |4,ooo,ooo. 
Gilpin county is in fact the cradle of Colorado's progress. It was in Gilpin 
county that Greer Rvissell and his party from Georgia, found the rich placers 
in 1859, the discovery of which electrified the country and started westward 
the tide of immigration. At present there are about 150 well developed 
mines of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, and the county is partitioned 
into sixteen districts, as follows: Russell, Illinois Central, Nevada, Eureka, 
Central City, Lake, Enterprise, Quartz Valley, Fairfield, Mountain House, 
Hawkeye, Independence, Vermilion, Silver Creek and South Boulder. 
The estimated output from the county from all mining sources is |3,ooo,ooo. 
Among the mines at work are sevent3--five, which produce in large quanti- 
ties. There are twenty-three stamp mills all using Gilpin county concen- 
trators. No mining count}' in the State has a finer otitlook for the future. 
Gilpin county has a splendid school sj^stem. There are twenty-three public 
schools, not including the High school at Central and the Aloysius Acad- 
emy. The estimated school census is 1,625, with a total value of school 
property of |;50,ooo. All denominations flourish and have large edifices for 
worship. The Colorado Central and the Gilpin County Tramway are the 
railroads, the former twelve miles in length and the latter seventeen miles. 
There are two cigar factories, a soda water bottling works and other manu- 
factories in their incipiency. Farming, wherever pursued, is profitable. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. §5 

There are 18,000 acres of land, with an assessed valuation of |ioi,720. Over 
10,000 cattle were raised last year, on which there is an assessed valuation 
of ^160,304. The total valuation of the county as assessed is ^358,482, or an 
estimated valuation of 11,075,446. The total output for the county in gold 
last year was $1,250,755; silver, $288,005, or a total value of both gold and 
silver 111,538,760; value of lead, $70,328; value of copper, $21,000. As a 
basis for future prosperit)^ Gilpin county has a supply of mineral that is in- 
exhaustible, and the development that is still going on invites other capital. 
Here, as in the surrounding counties, mining is on a legitimate basis, and 
money so employed rarely fails to bring returns. 



GRAND 

Is the county of Middle Park, a magnificent stretch of country lying 
between the Continental Divide on the north, the Front Range on the 
east and the Williams River Mountains on the south, whilst on the 
west there opens, most inimitably, the "New Empire" of the North- 
west. Grand county is about 50 by 60 miles in extent, dotted here and there 
with great peaks shooting up thousands of feet. The Grand river with its 
many tributaries finds its source in the north-east corner, the location of 
Grand lake, the scene of the tragedy, about seven years ago, when sevreal 
county ofiBcials were killed in a feud over the removal of the records of the 
county. In 1876 the county was organized from Summit county and at that 
time the population was about 500. Since then it has prospered, and in the 
same ratio with other counties has increased its population till in point of 
valuation it makes a record highly creditable as a stock raising county. In 
this respect alone, the valuation for stock last year was $230,000; the whole 
valuation was $358,482. It may thus be seen to what an extent stock raising 
is pursued. And the reason for it is that the Middle Park is one of the most 
favorable places in the State for stock raising. Nowhere are the grasses 
more nutritious, the water better and more abundant, and nowhere in the 
State is the shelter more complete. Here the feeding ground is protected 
by the high ranges which almost enclose the county in a circle, and for this 
reason severe winters are unknown. As a pleasure resort. Grand county 
has but few equals. The hot sulphur springs in the center of the park, 
and the numerous retreats among the timbered growth on the hill-side and 
by the river banks make it an attractive place to the lovers of nature in her 
most pleasing forms. Coal is supposed to exist in great quantities, and 
being comparitively a new county, the mountains are undeveloped. In this 
county there are upwards of 15,000 acres under irrigation, and the growth 
of cereals is fine. Last year the yield of potatoes was uuprecedentedly 
heavy, while 20,000 tons of hay were cut. Dairying is an industry that has 
realized well, the product in butter last year being about 10,000 pounds. 
Sheep pay well. Last year over 35,000 pounds of wool was raised, to say 
nothing of the supply of mutton sent to the markets of Leadville and other 
mountain towns. Grand county is favored with good roads, a good school 
system, and the moral tone of the county is good. The people have push 
and vigor, and the outlook for the future is promising. 



gg COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

GUNNISON. 

THE Continental Divide forms the boundary line of this county on the 
east. Gunnison was organized in 1877 from a part of Lake county, 
and named in honor of Captain Gunnison. There are 4,500 square 
miles, and most of it motintainous. That portion not rock}' is rich in 
soil and very productive, Mining, ranching and live stock growing are the 
industries, and these support a population of 5,000 people who are mostly 
settlers from the Middle States. The valuation of improved land in 1880 
was 1:25,590, and in 1889 it is 1242,595. Gunnison City is the county seat, 
with large and attractive public buildings. There are excellent schools, 
twenty-one in number, with a school census of 900. The districts from 
which ore is taken are Tomichi, Quartz Creek, Tin Cup, Elk Mountain, 
Ruby, Rock Creek and Ceballa. There are two zones, lime and porphyry, 
or porphyretic granite and gneiss. Gold, silver, lead, considerable iron and 
some copper are mined. In the gold belt or porphyretic formation the veins 
are fissures, most of them with quartz and hematite of iron base, with con- 
siderable lead. In the lime belt the veins are contacts between different 
limes or lime or quartzite, all carrying more or less lead. There is a limited 
area of placer ground and the most of this is in the Tin Cup district on 
Willow creek. In i860 the first discovery of placers was made and the lodes 
followed in 1878. The output for the county is 1:25,000 in gold; 1300,000 in 
silver; $150,000 in lead and $15,000 in copper. There are three smelters, 
four concentrators and one sampler. The estimated population dependent 
upon mining is 2,000. At Crested Butte coal mining is carried on exten- 
sively, where more than 500 miners are employed. The granite quarries are 
the best in the State, and sandstone of superior quality is quarried. The largest 
iron bodies of the most available character for manufacturing are found in 
Gunnison county. Here are the finest marble ledges in the country, 100 feet in 
thickness and in colors of all kinds, the principal quality, however, being pure 
white. It is from these granite quarries that the stone is being taken for the 
construction of the State capitol at Denver. The soda, iron and sulphur hot 
springs at Juanita, eight miles from White Pine, is the resort where gather hun- 
dreds of people afflicted with rheumatism, kindey and other diseases. Gun- 
nison City also has pretensions as a summer resort. The capital invested in 
manufactories is $30,640. There is an iron foundry, also a number of saw mills 
and creameries for the manufacture of butter and cheese. The inducements 
to settlers are a rich mineral belt, fine grazing lands, openings for manufac- 
tories, fine climate, good schools and society. Laborers get from $2 to $2.40 
per day, and miners $3 to $4.50. The grazing interest are yet large and 
profitable. Eight thousand head is the estimated number of cattle. There 
are 500 head of horses, and the estimated number of sheep grown for mut- 
ton is 4,565 head. The undeveloped nature of the resources of Gunnison 
county makes it a promising field for the capitalist. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. ^7 

HINSDALE. 

HINSDALE county was created in 1875 from that portion of the Ute 
Reservation opened for settlement in 1874. The rich mineral 
counties of Gunnison and San Juan bound it on the north and 
west, on the east Saguache and Rio Grande, and on the south Archu- 
uleta. Mining and stock raising are the chief sources of income. The valu- 
ations are 1465,650, and the rate of taxation 3 per cent. The county debt is 
1:130,000. Hinsdale is the source of the Rio Grande, and the rivers of San 
Juan, Gunnison and Rio Piedra rise in the mountains of the San Juan, which 
range crosses the center. The population is 1,200; with Lake Cit}- with a 
population of 800 as the county seat. They are mostly from the Central and 
Eastern States, are moderately prosperous and confident of the future. Whilst 
there are no extremely wealthy men, there are no paupers in the county. 
There are four public schools, with a census of 250, and a valuation of school 
property aggregating |25,ooo. The Presbyterian, Baptist, Christian and 
Catholic denominations care for the community's morals. Total acres of land 
available for hardy vegetables and grain, 5,000; the total acreage available 
for grazing only, 215,000. The county is divided into the districts of Lake, 
Galena, Park and Sherman, and the general character of the mineral forma- 
tion is eruptive granite, gneiss, schist, porphyry, the ores are in quartz, lime 
and slate. The county's output this year is : gold, f 10,000; silver, 1240,000 ; 
lead, $20,000; copper, |5,ooo, or a total of $275,000. There are in operation 
twenty -seven mines, two stamp mills, and about 500 miners depend upon the 
industry for support. With the completion of a branch of railroad and the 
reduction of freight rates, the mining interests of the county will steadih' 
progress, opening new mines and increasing the production. There are coal 
and iron, but owing to the lack of facilities, no effort has yet been made to 
develop them. The present railroad accommodations are only ten miles of 
road, and this is the propert}- of the D. & R. G. R. R. The advantages, 
though unimproved, are superior, and consist of hot and mineral springs, 
fine hunting and fishing. Uncompahgre Peak, near Lake City, rises in 
magnificent view from the railroad, and two miles distant is San Christoval, 
the most beautiful lake in the State. Unrivalled advantages for mining in- 
vestments for the capitalist, and a fine climate for those suffering from con- 
sumption and rheumatism, are the inducements offered settlers. 



HUERFANO. 

OF the 8,000 population of Huerfano county, one-third is Mexican. 
Walsenburg, the principal town, has 2,000 inhabitants; La Veta, 
500; Rouse, 500; and Picton, 300. Stock, agriculture and mining 
are the industries. The county was organized in i860 from parts 
of Pueblo and Las Animas counties. "Orphan Butte," on the banks of 
Huerfano river, is the derivation of its name. The cultivated and irrigated 
lands are worth $50 per acre; other land, $1.25 to $4.00. The county debt 
is $32,000. Walsenburg is the county seat and is provided with a court 



88 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

house and jail. The number of acres under irrigation is 15,000, all of which 
is under ditch. The general character of the mineral formation is galena 
and carbonates. Spanish Peaks and Sierra Blanca are the principal mining 
districts, producing gold, silver, lead and copper. The estimated oiitput 
for the entire county for the year is jf 150,000. There is no question as to 
the hidden wealth. There is ore in abundance, and with more railroads, 
capital will flow in for development purposes. No county in the southern 
part of the State has a higher outlook. There are eight coal mines in oper- 
ation, and with an output of 950,000 tons, and employing 2,000 men. The 
Denver and Rio Grande and the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth railroads, 
with nine miles of track, do the transportation business. A large number 
of mineral springs attract the afflicted, and in these respects, the resorts at 
La Veta and Walsenburg are achieving commendable reputation. The dis- 
tricts have thirty public schools; an estimated census of 22,000; and a total 
value in public school property of |i8,ooo. All denominations have their 
following and all are prosperous enough to erect their own places of wor- 
ship. Huerfano has a great future as an agricultural county. The total 
acres of grain this year is 2,302 and the average yield will be: Wheat, 
13,562 bushels; oats, 17,990 bushels; rye, 725 bushels; barley, 6,070 bushels; 
and corn, 4,636. The average railway price for these cereals is one cent, 
per pound. The total acreage in fruit is about 100, which are set out as an 
experiment in apple culture. Attention is also being directed to the growth 
of small fruit and truck, and instead of |2,ooo, the product will bring in a 
quadrvipled return. As the ditches are all private property, there are no 
lease charges. Live stock raising still retains its hold upon the affection of 
the people, for the estimated number of range cattle is 11,493, and 5,109 
sheep were raised for mutton and wool. 



JEFFERSON. 

» 

JEFFBRSON county derives its name from Jefferson Territorj'. It is in 
the center of the State, half mountainous country, and the other half 
foot-hills and prairie. The county contains 780 square miles, and is 
watered by the South Platte, north fork of the South Platte, Bear creek. 
Clear creek and Ralston creek. In the foot-hills many farms are cultivated 
where the ordinary cereals do well; these do not need irrigation on account 
of the rains. The soil in the eastern part is a rich loam, particularly adapted 
to fruit raising. Ten thousand is the population, of which Golden has 3,000. 
Morrison, Evergreen, Pine Grove, Buffalo Creek and Arvada are the principal 
towns. Mining of coal, the manufacture of brick, tile, pottery, sewer pipe, 
gulch mining, farming, stock raising, market gardening, the manufacture of 
paper, flour milling, etc., are the sources whence the people get their liveli- 
hood. There are no paupers; every one appears prosperous and happy. 
Created in 1861, it was one of the original counties at the time (>f the terri- 
torial organization. To this fact and to its natural sources is, perhaps, due 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. §9 

its large manufacturing interests. The valuation at the time of its organiza- 
tion was $166,000, with a taxation of five mills. At present the valuation is 
$4,100,000, with a tax rate of ly^ per cent. There is a bonded indebtedness 
of f68,ooo, a floating debt of $50,000; available assets are $20,000. Jefferson 
county contains thirtj'-nine districts,with fifty-three public schools. The State 
Reform School and the State School of Mines are established at Golden. 
The census is 2,300, of which Golden has 800. Value of school property, 
$50,000. All denominations flourish. There are 200,000 acres of land avail- 
able fpr agricultiire, and 150,000 acres for grazing. Total number of acres 
of agricultural land under ditch 50,000 acres. Silver, gold, copper, lead 
and iron are the minerals mined; gold in placer and quartz, and silver in 
lead and copper ores. Gulch mining began near Golden in 1859, and these 
placers were the scenes of great excitement during those early days. But 
Golden's prosperity rises not from the mineral in its hills, but rather from its 
manufactures. The Golden paper mills, a smelter turning out |i,ooo,cco in 
bullion in a 3-ear, the brick and tile sewer works, a large broom factory, two 
large and prosperous flouring mills, two brick yards, one of the largest 
breweries in the State, extensive coal deposits, building stone and lime 
quarries, lime kilns, fire and other clays, and cement are the sources of the 
city's wealth. Golden is substantially built, has fine public buildings, county 
and State; good water works and water S5-stem; one railway to the mining 
region of Central and Black Hawk, the Colorado Central. The Santa Fe 
road is to build soon. The cit}' has seven churches, a good opera house, 
good hotel, a public park and every line of business usually found in a 
flourishing city is well represented and prospering. Iron was discovered in 
1873, Slid coal as far back as 1859. The first exploration was at Coal Creek. 
Now three coal mines are in operation, with a total output last year of 20,000 
tons, and employing 400 men. The industry is doing well, and the prospect 
for the future is promising. There are seven large irrigating canals and 
many small ditches; the extent of the former being 120 miles. The railroads 
are the Denver and South Park — Morrison branch, and the Colorado Central; 
the Denver, Western and Pacific, and the Denver, Utah and Pacific cross the 
county. Golden possesses an iron spring of good quality. Bear creek is 
lined with summer resorts, and the Platte is also well provided. Prominent 
among these are Troutdale, Evergreen, Pine Grove, Buffalo Park and Beaver 
Brook. About $1,000,000 of raw material is consumed annually, the product 
of the country, and the markets for the goods manufactured are New Mexico, 
Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and California. The most natural advant- 
ages and nearness to market, a fine climate, picturesque scener}- and a low 
rate of taxation are the inducements the county offers settlers. Grazing 
flourishes. The estimated number of cattle on the prairie is 10,000 head; 
horses 1,000. In Jefferson county agriculture and truck farming pays well. 
There are 30,000 acres of grain this year, yielding as follows; wheat, 20 bushels; 
oats, 30; rye, 40; barley, 40; corn, 50. The price realized is; wheat, per bushel, 
$1.10; oats, 75 cents; rye, 65; barley, fi.co; corn, 75 cents. The total number 
of acres in fruit, 2,000, embracing 21,000 apple trees; apricots, 300 trees; 
peaches, 350; pears, 4,000; plums, 2,000; cherries, 2,500. The estimated yield 

12 



90 'COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

of raspberries this year is 100,000 quarts; grapes, 10,000 pounds; currants, 
60,000 quarts; strawberries, 700,000 quarts. Butter to the extent of 350,000 
pounds was manufactured, and the realization in truck alone was 190,000. The 
surplus was marketed in the adjacent mining towns, and in Denver. The 
average- cost of water per acre is li.oo. 



KIOWA. 

THIS is another of the eastern tier of counties, and lies between Prowers, 
on the south; Cheyenne, on the north; and Otero, on the west. It 
was created April 13, 1889, and has 2,000 population. Kiowa is Indian 
in its derivation. The soil is a dark sandy loam with a marl subsoil. 
The population is 2,000, distributed principally in the towns of Sheridan 
L,ake, the county seat, Galatea, Eads, Arlington, Chivington, Towner, and 
Stuart. Agriculture is the chief dependency of the people and will so con- 
tinue, with its 1,200,000 acres of land available. The grazing area is but 
25,000 acres. Valuations are fixed at $1,250,000, with a tax rate of two and 
one-half per cent; $16,000 is the debt assumed when Kiowa was created 
from Bent county. There are fifteen public schools, with a census of 400, 
and an aggregate value of school property of $4,000. The religious de- 
nominations of the coanty are Methodist, Congregational and Catholic. 
The streams from which water is obtained are Adobe, Big Sandy and Rush 
creeks; prairie is undulating with sand hills along Rush and Sandy 
creeks. The unoccupied public lands available for argriculture are 600,000 
acres in extent, and the total number acres unsold State lands, available for 
agriculture, are 150,000. Deposits of gypsum are found in various parts of 
the county, also an excellent quality of lime-bearing rock in the Kiowa 
Valley, where large quarries are operated. A salubrious climate, well 
adapted to persons with pulmonary diseases, and being loeated about 100 
miles east of the mountains, the county possesses all advantages of a moim- 
tain climate, without sudden changes or high altitude. The waters of the 
Kiowa Springs are remarkable for their health giving qualities and for their 
adaptability in pulmonary diseases, rheumatism and diseases of the blood. 
The Missouri Pacific railroad extends the entire length of the county neai 
the center, eighty-five miles in extent, and passes through the Kiowa 
Valley, a rich section which has rapidly been filled with settlers from Kan- 
sas. Here are grown cereals of all kinds; small fruits flourish and vegeta- 
bles grow in abundance. Blue stem grass grows so thick that ranchmen 
dispose of it at ten dollars per ton in the Denver markets. Total acreage in 
grain this year is 6,500 acres, with a yield as follows: Wheat, 20 bushels; 
oats, 40 bushels; rye, 24 bushels; and corn, 38 bushels. For these, the 
prices are: Wheat, per bushel, $1.00; oats, 40 cents per bushel; rye, 80 
cents per bushel; and corn, 60 cents per bushel. Though Kiowa is a rain- 
belt county, and has an ample supplj^ of water for all purposes, there will 
in the future be irrigation. A project is afoot to construct a ditch to water 
two-thirds of the county. Dairying is becoming a feature. This year, 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 91 

25,000 pounds of butter were manufactured and disposed of in Colorado 
Springs and Kansas City markets. There are three sorghum factories turn- 
ing out a fine quality of syrup which has a ready sale in the Kansas 
markets. Live stock raising still flourishes. The ranchmen controlling 
the thousands of grazing acres report about 15,000 head of stock, with ready 
sales in Kansas City and good prices. The ind'ucements for the settler are: 
Excellent grazing; an abundance of good water; crops grow without irriga- 
tion; free government lands; the dairy, agriculture and stockraising indus- 
tries and last of all, health. 



KIT CARSON. 

THIS is a new county, created in January of 1889, from the eastern part 
of Elbert coimty and a portion of Bent. It has 2,169 square miles, 
well watered with the Republican, Frenchman, South Fork, Little 
Smoky and Beaver rivers. The country is gently undulating in 
some sections and in others level as a floor. Farin and stock raising are the 
industries that support the growing population. Burlington, the countj^ 
seat, has 300 inhabitants; other towns are equally promising. The esti- 
mated school census is 1,200, but the school system has hardly had sufficient 
time to be organized. The total number of acres available for agriculture 
are 1,000,000; grazing, 500,000. Railroad facilities are afforded by the Kan- 
sas Pacific and the Rock Island, the latter a recently constructed road. For 
richness of soil Kit Carson cotlnty is the equal of any western agricultural 
county. Although but a few months old, the record it shows is remarkable. 
There are this year under cultivation 35,429 acres, of which 27,406 acres are 
in corn; 2,417 in rye; 3,828 in cane; 350 in wheat; 368 in broom corn; 416 in 
millet; 182 in potatoes; 7 in timothy; 125 in alfalfa; 21 in clover; 250 in 
oats; 24 in buckwheat; 15 in beans; 9 in rice corn; 4 in flax; 3 in onions, 
and 5 in barley. There are 2,225 head of cattle and 1,997 head of horses 
upon the range, these figmres demonstrating the fact that instead of being 
in decline the grazing interests are keeping pace with the general prosperity. 
At least this is the fact so far as Kit Carson county is concerned. There are 
a few ditches, but these were constructed by private capital. The bulk of 
the crops depend not upon irrigation but upon the natural moisture. Rains 
are frequent, and the time is not far distant when the county will be all 
under cultivation. It is a part of the " great American desert " so-called, 
but the authentic record of crops to the acre practically shows how far the 
popular comprehension is from the truth when it condemned this portion 
of the State as w-orthless land. Situated as Kit Carson count)- is, the peo- 
ple of that section have the advantage of both Denver and Kansas City 
markets. They have not been slow in realizing this, as the receipts from 
the auditor's office of the two trunk lines go to prove. The county was 
named in honor of the famous government scout, Kit Carson. 



92 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

LAKE. 

THIS county of which Leadville is the center, geographically as well as 
in point of wealth, lies directly behind the Park Range of the Rocky 
Mountains. It is I5^by 24 miles in extent ; a box-like conformation 
with the county of Pitkin upon the east. Eagle county upon the 
north, Park county on the west and Chaffee county on the south, all great 
deposits of mineral wealth, yet Lake county in the center, yields to none of 
these the palm. Leadville is known the world over. Great fortunes have 
been made here in the past, and great fortunes are being made to-day by 
those developing its wonderful ore bodies. There is little else to Lake 
county save its mineral, and nothing else need there be, for out of her cir- 
cumscribed limits has come a vast portion of the State's wealth. Much of 
Denver's greatness is due the little county on the crest, an honor which 
Denver is not loth to concede. The discovery of carbonates and the stirring 
episodes that followed the Leadville excitement are known the world over; 
stories of those days are yet current topics of conversation, and the 
"stranger within our gates" so regales himself that to report them or 
traverse any of the ground would be superfluous; suffice it to say that all that 
wild conjecture at that day predicted for Leadville has been even more than 
realized, and though ten years have elapsed, the camp still goes on develop- 
ing with no signs of depletion. The supply is inexhaustible. The total 
production for the county last year was: 1310,890.84 in gold ; fg, 061,589 in 
silver, or a total of gold and silver of 1:9,372,480; the value of the lead 
realized was 1:4,004,065; copper, $1,2,94, or a grand total of ^13,377,940. Up 
to the present time there is no blemish on the bright lustre of Leadville's 
record, and the production of lead, silver atjd gold in 1889 promises to be 
considerably greater than in 1887 or 1888. For the past six months of the 
year it was probably fG, 500, 000, for although it was not very great in April or 
May, it was unusuall}' large in January, February and March. In addition 
to the ore shipped to smelters, about 800 tons of low grade is broken and 
hoisted daily for the dressing works, and 80 or 90 tons daily for the 
Antioch gold mill. Nearly every blast furnace at the smelting works is 
running and has been so since January i, and another smelter is now being 
built. Roasting furnaces for the treatment of sulphide ores are also being 
built. Few idle men are seen on the streets, and real estate is as valuable as 
ever. These are all evidences of Leadville's prosperity. 

Mining so overshadows the other industries that one supposes that 
nothing else is done. But this impression is erroneous. The assessed valu- 
ation on 32,457 acres of laud with improvements is 11,879,591, estimated 
valuation, fs, 638,773. There are 7,695 acres under ditch, and over 7,000 
acres of pasture. Over 2,000 tons of timoth}' and 4,000 tons of native grass 
were cut last year to supply the dairy interests; the estimated valuation on 
manufactures alone, is 149,605, and on cattle $84,000. The estimated valu- 
ation of the county not including mining, is 113,708,110. Leadville makes 
a good market for anything produced within her easy reach. Her popula- 
tion is 15,000, that of the coimty is estimated at 25,000. The Colorado 
Midland, Union Pacific and Denver and Rio Grande enter Leadville, and 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 93 

thence the former crosses the county on its way westward. The Denver 
and Rio Grande runs north into Eagle county. The natural attractions are 
the Twin Lakes, a celebrated resort; Crystal Lake and the Soda Springs. 
Lake county is practically the crest of the great divide, too high for persons 
afflicted with weak lungs or otherwise debilitated, but those who are accli- 
mated enjoy existence in the rarified air and would not exchange it for any 
other. 



LA PLATA. 

THIS county adjoins the east line of Montezuma, and the Territory of 
New Mexico on the south; Archuleta and Hinsdale are located on 
the east, and San Juan upon the north. The Denver and Rio 
Grande runs from north to south through its center. Durango, as 
the center, is the county seat. The Las Animas with its tributaries water 
the rich soil. There are numerous other streams of Mexican names which 
flow southward. On the western boundary' line are the La Plata mountains, 
from which the county takes its name. There are numerous little towns 
along the line of the railroad, and the chief occupations of the people are 
farming and ranching. This county was organized in 1S74 from parts of 
Costilla, Conejos and Lake, and later was itself divided and subdivided till 
it has been cut down to its present size, sixty by forty -five miles in extent. 
Its present population is estimated at i,5qo, and its estimated valuation at 
f7, 730, 520. The latter figures include the mines and improvements, which 
are estimated at 1:49,800. Upon 57,724 acres of land the valuation is $270,- 
584, and improvements on this $43 1,330. There are seventy-six miles of 
railroad with a half a million valuation. About |i50,ooo is employed in 
manufactures, and the cattle, which is the largest interest, is estimated at 
$1,000,000, there being about 40,000 head upon the range. The assessed 
valuation on horses is $122,743 o^i Si^oo head. The estimated number of 
sheep grown for mutton is 4,000 head; for wool 4,000 head. Farming has 
taken a foothold here, and because of its fine system for water supply is 
making great strides. There are 15,000 acres under ditch, and 8,000 for 
pasture; wheat grown on 1,000 acres yielded 29,000 bushels; oats on 3,000 
acres yielded 139,000 bushels; barley on 234 acres yielded 8,000 bushels; rye 
on 32 acres yielded 1,100 bushels; corn on 25 acres yielded 660 bushels; 
buckwheat on 50 acres yielded 1,500 bushels; potatoes on 373 acres yielded 
56,000 bushels; timothy on 655 acres yielded 1,100 tons; native grass 2,000 
tons from 1,500 acres; alfalfa 3,600 tons from 1,100 acres. Small fruits and 
berries flourish with this result last year: Strawberries, 28,000 quarts; rasp- 
berries, 3,900 quarts; gooseberries, 10,000 quarts; currants, 10,000 quarts. 
This is the product of thirteen acres. The product in butter was 53,000 
pounds, and in cheese 1,300 pounds. The wool crop was 2,000 pounds. 
These figures show a fine condition of soil. The fact that La Plata for so 
long has been the close neighbor to the Ute reservation has had the effect of 
keeping away settlers, but now that the Indians have relinguished this res- 
ervation, farming will forge itself to the- head and La Plata will take its 
place as the chief farming section of the State. 



<)4 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



LARIMER. 

LARIMKR is not exclusively an agricultural county, as is generally 
supposed. Only one-fifth is agricultural. The area of the county is 
over 4,500 square miles. It is 150 miles vpide and nearly 100 miles 
long, east and west. A narrow strip in the eastern part is agricul- 
tural and grazing laud and this is well watered by the Cache la Poudre and 
the Big and Little Thompson rivers, and that portion that is under irrigating 
canals and penetrated by the Union Pacific has arrived at a high state of 
-cultivation and produces immense crops. The remainder of the county in- 
cludes a section of the Rocky Mountain range. The foot hills rise about 
three miles west of Fort Collins, and stretching westward to the western 
boundary of the county, marked by the Continental Divide, is an immense 
mountain range, filled with a great variety^ of minerals and other natural 
resources. For the past three or four years, a great deal of prospecting and 
some mining have been done. The net output however, in consequence of 
the absence of railroad and milling facilities has been insignificant. A 
sufficient amount of development has been done to demonstrate beyond 
doubt that there are as rich gold and silver and copper mines in Larimer 
county as there are anywhere in Colorado. At Manhattan, the ore is com- 
posed principalh' of decomposed quartz, showing a large quantity of free 
gold. Gold can be panned from the grass roots, a single panful showing 
colors in the bottom of the pan for a distance of an inch and sometimes two 
inches. North of Manhattan, in the Poudre Caiion, other rich gold mines 
have been opened. There is a region just west of Fort Collins, commenc- 
ing twelve miles from the city and reaching west to North Park and beyond, 
which is very rich in gold, silver and copper. Over in North Park, sixty 
miles west of Fort Collins, is the old camp of Teller, which, as soon as 
railroad facilities are provided, is destined to be one of the great producers. 
Here is the Eudomite mine, upon which large amounts of mone}^ have been 
spent in its development, and thousands of tons of ore lie upon the dump 
awaiting shipmeut, which will run trom forty to sixty dollars per ton in 
silver. In the Cameron Pass region much mining is being done and very 
rich lodes of carbonates are found. With the extension of the Burlington 
to this region, Larimer county will come to the front as one of the leading 
counties in the State. Northern Larimer county contains very rich deposits of 
copper, ore being found near Prairie Divide which runs eighty-five per cent, 
pure copper. All these camps can oe easily reached by standard gauge 
railroads, which will eventually have terminals at Fort Collins, where smelt- 
ing and reduction works will be erected and in operation in the next few 
years. The population of the county is 15,000, of which Fort Coliins 
has 2,500; Loveland, i^ooo; Berthoud, 300. It was organized early in the 
sixties and named in honor of General Larimer, who represented the Rocky 
Mountain region in the Territorial Legislature of Kansas. The assessed val- 
uation is about fo, 000, 000, upon an actual value of not less than f 12, 000, 000, 
and the rate of taxation is about two and one-half per cent of assessed value. 
The debt is $40,000, incurred by the erection of the fine court house at Fort 
Collins, the county seat. There are sixty-one public schools; an agricultu- 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 95 

ral college is established by the State at Fort Collins; and Loveland has an 
academy; estimated school census, 2,712; value of school property, 
$84,880. There are thirteen church organizations, each having its own place 
of worship. The Stout and Arkins stone quarries are among the largest in 
the State and from these fifty cars are shipped daily, mostly to Missouri 
river points. About 300 miles of irrigating ditches are built. The railroads 
are the Colorado Central and the Greeley, St. Louis and Pacific, with about 
seventy-five miles of trackage. The health resorts are Estes Park, Rustic, 
on the Upper Poudre, Elkhorn, on Blkhorn creek, and the mineral springs of 
North Park. The county has foundries, flouring mills, a cheese factor}' 
and several creameries, Three hundred thousand dollars worth of raw 
materials are consumed by the manufactories of Larimer county and the 
market for the goods manufactured is the entire State. The total acreage in 
grain is 75,000 acres, with a yield of: Wheat, 25 bushels; oats, 45 bushels; rye, 
25 bushels; barley, 40 bushels; corn, 50 bushels. The prices are: Wheat, 75 
cents per bushel; oats, 30 cents per bushel; barley, 85 cents per bushel; and 
corn, 50 cents per bushel. There are 500 acres of fruit, of which 5,000 trees 
are apple, 200 pear trees, 200 plum trees, 100 cherry trees. The estimated 
yield this year in raspberries is 10,000 quarts; grapes, 2,000 pouuds; cur- 
rants, 5,000 quarts; strawberries, 8,000 quarts. Over 150,000 pounds of but- 
ter were made and 50,000 pounds of cheese. The estimated product of 
market gardening is |io,ooo. Cheyenne and other Wyoming towns is the 
market for this product. The average cost of water per acre per season is 
about 1 1. 00. The estimated number of cattle on the grazing land is 
48,000 head and horses, 12,000 head. Over 17,000 sheep were grown this 
vear for wool. 



LAS ANIMAS. 

THE western half of this county is covered with forests; the eastern half 
prairie. Trinidad is the county seat, with a court house costing $15,- 
000, and a jail $20,000. In the valleys and along the foothills, the 
soil is a black loafy mould; the soil of the prairie is a clay and sandy 
loam. The population is about 19,000, of which Trinidad has 15,000; other 
towns are El Moro, Starkville, Engleville, Sopris and Victor. Coal mining 
and coke manufacture, wool growing, live stock raising, farming and lum- 
bering are the industries of Las Animas. A large portion of the popula- 
tion is Mexican from New Mexico. In the mines, Italians are numerous. 
The remainder are Americans from Texas and the Eastern States. Las Ani- 
mas county was created in 1S66, and takes its name from the river Las Ani- 
mas which flows through it. The Tillotson Academy and the St. Joseph 
Academy are the institutes of learning, with an adequate number of public 
schools. Of the population about 1,500 depend upon mining for support. 
There is one smelter. There is iron ore in abundance. The coal output is 
6,000 tons daily. Numerous railways have secured coal lands for future 
use; and from which those controlled by corporations and individuals, make 
an area of wide extent. El Moro has 250 coking ovens; Starkville, 100; 



9(5 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

Sopris, loo; Victor, loo. Immense quarries of sandstone abound, of varied 
shades and colors, and from various springs issue oil and gas, and the indi- 
cations are that underlying the county there is a vast reservoir of oil. 
There are sixty irrigating canals, and i6o miles of railroad; The Pueblo 
and Arkansas Valley; Denver and Rio Grande, and the Denver, Texas and 
Fort Worth. Sulphur and hot springs are found in plenty. Manufactories 
are in operation, principal among which are, one iron and rolling mill, two 
smelters, cement works, twelve saw mills, two flour mills, brick manu- 
factures, door and sash works, one grind stone factor}^ and a factory for the 
manufacture of artificial stone for paving. Since the advent of the Denver, 
Texas and Fort Worth road, Trinidad has become the leading manufactur- 
ing city in Southern Colorado. Business houses and dwellings are being 
erected as fast as possible, and there is now in the course of erection build- 
ings that when completed will represent in the aggregate of $250,000. The 
freighting capacity of the railroads is taxed to the utmost shipping coal 
from the mines, and yet the demand is not supplied. The undeveloped in- 
dustries of Trinidad are many, as the material is here in abundance, the 
crude material being silica, fireclay, red ochre, sulphur, alum, etc. The soil 
surrounding the city is capable of producing all cereals, alfalfa, fruits; in 
fact everything indigenous to Colorado. On the river bottom, and all other 
laud available for irrigation, the crops are extensive. The valuation for 
the county is $6,308,927; this includes $2,657,432 on 538,959 acres of land, 
including improvements; $876,341 on 92 miles of railroad; $1,053,070 on 
town and city lots; $713,872 on 88,700 head of cattle; $76,553 on 63,723 
sheep, and $161,884 on money and credits. The total valuation of the 
county is $6,308,927; estimated valuation $12,626,781. 



LINCOLN. 

IINCOIvN is a new county, created April 11, 1889, from Elbert and Bent 
counties. It is distinctly a stock growing county, agriculture having 
/ but recently attained a hold. Hugo is the county seat. There are 
2,592 square miles of territory, well watered by the Big Sandy, 
Rush creek, Adobe creek and many smaller streams and springs. The 
valleys are moist and the whole surface is covered with rich grasses. 
The soil is c rich loam and is highly productive. Fifteen hundred is the 
population, and the towns are Hugo, Arriba, Simon, Bovina and Mirage. 
Most of the people aro, stockmen. But little farming has been done 
although the possibilities are boundless. The assessed valuation is 1,700,000 
and the total value of school property is $10,000. From present indications 
Lincoln county will be a stock raising county for some time, at least until 
the farmers can prove themselves equal to those of other eastern counties 
and as capable of redeeming the apparently wild waste of land. For agri- 
culture this is a virgin section with a million acres of available land. Now 
it is the stockman's paradise, for the range is without limit and the wire 
fence of the farmer is confined soleh- to a few valle3's. The Union Pacific 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 97 

and the Rock Island are the railroads passing through the county. Sheep 
and cattle are the predominating sources of livelihood ; this is the first 
year for anything else. Que thousand acres of grain have been sown with 
promising results, and ten acres of fruit. This year the estimated number 
of cattle is 12,000 head; horses, 1,000; sheep, 56,000. Inasmuch as the 
soil is similar to that of Kit Carson and Elbert counties the chances are 
that the conditions of things will change, and instead of being the absolute 
authority upon the millions of fertile range lands, the stock industry will 
take second position and agriculture will take its place and fill the county 
with a thrifty population and an abundance of wealth. The county derives 
its name from ex-President Abraham Lincoln. 



LOGAN. 

THIS county is one of the northern tier of counties and is a part of 
what is known as the rain belt, where crops are raised without irriga- 
tion. Except in the vicinity of the Limestone Buttes the country is 
rolling prairie through which the South Platte runs in a north-eastern 
direction. It is 42 by 48 miles in extent. The county seat is Sterling, on the 
Union Pacific road, at a point where the Burlington's Cheyenne extension 
crosses on its westward course. Numerous towns have sprung up within the 
last few years, and the condition of the country has become greatly improved. 
It has 5,000 acres under irrigating ditches and 5,000 acres for pasture. On 18 
acres last year, 255 bushels of wheat were raised ; 7,000 bushels of oats 
from 350 acres; 37,000 bushels of corn from 2,500 acres; from 136 acres 
11,000 bushels of potatoes were raised; native grass cut, 4,500 tons ; alfalfa, 
900 tons; sorghum made, 400 gallons. Cattle led the list in live stock at 
22,000 head; sheep, 17,000; horses, 5,500; hogs, 900. The assessed valua- 
tion for the county is 13,326,313, of which ^1,460,411 was on 187 miles of 
railroad, 111,069,820 on 466,194 acres of laud and improvements ; merchan- 
dise, 185,000; town and city lots 1221,840; hors.es, 1171,820; cattle, 1191,117; 
sheep, $16,025; money and credits, 132,355. The population is estimated at 
1,500 and is composed largely of settlers who have crossed the line from 
Nebraska and Kansas. The Union Pacific running through the county has 
been a great help, but the Burlington's Cheyenne extension has given the 
county a boom which promises to be lasting. The people are enterprising 
and thrifty, and the increase in the yield in crops promises hopeful 1}- for the 
future. The great agricultural county of Weld is on its eastern border, 
and the new counties of Sedgwick and Phillips on the east, and Washington 
county is on the south. For the farmer there are inducements here as 
elsewhere and farming pays as well if not better in Logan county than 
anywhere west of the Missouri river, at least that is the testimony of the set- 
tlers themselves. The solution of this lies in the fact that the county has the 
markets of Nebraska and Kansas and is also in direct communication with 
the markets in Wyoming and in Denver and among the mining towns of 
this State. Logan county takes its name from Gen. John A. Logan, 
the volunteer soldier of Illinois. 
13 



98 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



MESA. 

MBS A, together with Delta and Montrose counties, was, prior to 1881, 
the Ute Reservation. Little was kuown of it, and that little was 
contributed occasionally by some daring trapper who in a spirit 
of venture had crossed into the forbidden territory. But the mas- 
sacre of Agent Meeker and the annihilation of Thornburg and his com- 
mand, brought affairs to a crisis. The result was a treaty by which the 
Indians gave up this section of country and moved to what is known as the 
Territory of Utah. There are about 1,800 square miles in Mesa county, 
through which the Grand River flows. The other streams are the Gunni- 
son, Dolores, Plateau and Roan creeks, each with tributaries. The soils are 
of sandy loam, clay and adobe, extremely fertile and peculiarly adapted to 
fruit raising. The population is 3,500, of which Grand Junction has 1,500. 
Fruita is another important town. Live stock raising, farming and coal 
mining are the industries, and all who are so engaged are thrifty. There 
are but few settlers who have not improved their condition since locating 
in Mesa. March, 1883, is when the county was cut oflf from Gunnison. 
Then the valuation was 1965,600 with a taxation of 32 mills for all purposes. 
Now the valuation is 11,546,092 with a rate of 35 mills for all purposes. 
The existing debt is |6o,ooo. As its name implies, a good portion of the 
county consists of high mesas or table lands. There are twelve public 
schools in the county, and the churches established are the Baptist, Metho- 
dist, Catholic and Congregational. About 200,000 acres of land are availa- 
ble for agriculture, and for grazing purposes about 1,000 square miles. The 
total acreage of agricultural land now under ditch is about 60,000. There 
are five bodies of bituminous coal and also beds of iron ore. Good build- 
ing stone, lime and fire clay are found. For irrigation there are three large 
canals and about seventy-five small ditches, the former aggregating about 
seventy-five miles. The railroad of the county is the Denver and Rio 
Grande, which has a trackage through the county of sixty-five miles. The 
productiveness of the soil for fruits of all kinds, proximity to large mining 
districts assuring good markets for all produce, cheap fuel, fine climate all 
the year around, and 100,000 acres of government lands available for agri- 
culture, are the inducements offered settlers. The total acreage in ^rain 
in Mesa this year is 6,000, yielding wheat, 20 bushels per acre ; oats, 30 ; 
rye, 20 ; barley, 40 ; and corn, 35. The ruling price in the market is wheat, 
|i per bushel ; oats, 40 cents ; corn, 60. About 500 acres of fruit are bear- 
ing this year, and the estimated yield of strawberries was 12,000 quarts ; 
currants, 500 quarts ; raspberries, 640 quarts. The product is all consumed 
in the county. The average cost of water per acre per season is 25 cents. 
The grazing interests are not languishing. The reports for the year show 
25,000 head of cattle and 4,000 head of horses on the range. Over 7,000 
sheep were grown for wool. In the way of native scenery Mesa county 
is not far behind other counties in the State. The Unaweep is its scenic 
valley, and is formed by a break in the Uncompahgre plateau, the great 
divide separating the Grand and Gunnison valleys from the Dolores. This 
valley is destined to become famous for its rich copper and silver ores. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



99 



Some very promising prospects have already been discovered. Assays 
made of the ore near the surface, give fifty per cent, copper and twenty-five 
ounces of silver. A very fine quality of iron ore has also been discovered 
in the district. The word " Unaweep " is an Indian word, meaning "split 
rock," and for centuries the valley has been a famous hunting place among 
the Indians. Grand Junction is the principal city on the Pacific Slope. 
Favorably situated at the junction of two great rivers and midway between 
the cities of Pueblo and Salt Lake its advantages are apparent. In due 
time it will become a railroad center. In fact it is already the objective 
point of all the trunk lines that have thus crossed the range. In this vicin- 
ity are the immense coal beds of the Uncompahgre plateau and the Grand 
Mesa. Starting from the mouth of Roan creek near the county line, at 
least five immense veins can be traced for a distance of fifty miles. In 
other localities the beds of coal are vast, and the prospects are that Mesa 
county is yet to find her true prosperity in the development of this vast 
source of wealth. 



MONTEZUMA. 

IF the history of this county could be written what a wealth of pre-his- 
toric story would be unfolded ! As it is, from the ruins that dot every 
cliff side the student of archaeology catches but a faint glimmer of 
that remote past. The county takes its name from the ' ' Father ' ' of 
the Aztecs, the ruins of whose homes, though dumb, speak so eloquently. 
The people of the county have entered into the spirit of their associations 
and, so far as nomenclature can, have preserved the memories of the ancient 
race that once peopled its valley by giving to the things of this century the 
names so identical with the past. Cortez is the county seat, and Mancos 
and Dolores are principal towns. Montezuma was created from Dolores 
county, and being young its assessment roll is not yet completed. It has 
2, 112 square miles, watered by the Dolores, Mancos and San Juan rivers. 
The valleys are the Mancos, Dolores and Montezuma in which the soil is 
of the most fertile character, and varies from the rich piiion red soil to the 
equally fine quality of silicious adobe. But the surface generally is undu- 
lating with occasional rocky points and ridges. Agriculture, cattle raising 
and mining are the vocations of the inhabitants, who are largely from the 
Missouri and Mississippi valleys. Taking into consideration the fact that 
things are yet in their crude form, the people generally are well to do, and 
with development and a railway line, they will, by its furnishing a good 
market, be in easy circumstances. The county has thirteen public schools 
with an estimated census of 543 scholars and $8,500 in school property. 
There is a Congregational church at Cortez. The total acreage of land 
available for agriculture is 500,000. There are 300,000 acres of land availa- 
ble for grazing and 100,000 acres of agricultural land now under ditch. 
Building stone is abundant everywhere, consisting of red and white sand- 
stone, but there is not much demand for these at present, due to the lack of 
railroad communication. The quality is very good. Limestone is plenty 



100 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

and makes a strong quality of lime for building and plastering. Brick 
material is abundant. There are three canals for irrigation in the Monte- 
zuma valley, and twenty farmers' ditches in the Mancos valley. In the 
former the number of miles of completed and projected canals is 130. 
The -whole county is a vast health resort, abounding in good springs, pure 
air, even temperature both winter and summer. Fishing on the Dolores is 
excellent. Whilst the mountains in the eastern and northern portions 
abound in good hunting of large game; smaller game is common in the 
valleys and caiions. There are in Montezuma county 680,000 acres of gov- 
ernment land open to settlement, which is now occupied by the herds of 
the cattlemen. The estimated number of stock is 14,000 in the count}-. 
The future of Montezuma, however, is in the agriculture, and it is only a 
matter of a very short time when its valleys and prairies will all be taken 
up and cultivated. 



MONTROSE. 



IN this fertile county, that was an Indian reservation but six years ago, 
there are upwards of io,oqo acres of grain and 200 acres in fruit. 
This is but the beginning of a great agricultural triumph on the 
Pacific Slope. Not only is this confined to cereals, but there is a 
promising outlook for fruit. The estimated yield for raspberries this year 
was 2,000 quarts; currants, 1,000 quarts, and strawberries, 25,000 quarts. The 
products are disposed of in the min ng towns and the results are largely 
remunerative. The average cost of water per acre is $1.50. Montrose 
county forms a part of the eastern boundary line of Utah, and upon the 
north are the counties of Mesa and Delta which, with Montrose, were a i^'art 
of the reservation above mentioned. It receives its name from the tinted 
glow of the mountain peaks. The soil is fertile and watered by the Un- 
compahgre, San Miguel and Dolores rivers. The Piedra and the Uncom- 
pahgre are the valleys. Five thousand is the population, of which Mon- 
trose, the county seat, contains 2,000. The inhabitants are largely agricul- 
turalists, and are a thrifty, enterprising class frjin the Mississippi Valley. 
Montrose wa^ organized from Gunnison in 1883 and has a debt of |;i7i,ooo. 
There are about fifteen schools in the county, and three churches. On the 
San Miguel river are some valuable placer mines, but aside from this, owing 
to the lack of capital, the mineral wealth in the mountains has not been 
uncovered. More attention is paid to agriculture and sheep raising. Of the 
latter, more than 25,000 head of sheep were raised this year for wool. The 
assessed valuation of the county is |r, 000,000, of which 1:217,656 is upon 
20,000 acres of land and the improvements. There are twenty-nine miles 
of railroad, assessed at 11168,637. There are 2,oco head of horses at 
|35,ooo valuation; 4,000 head of stock at 1:33,000; money and credits, 
$17,000. The mines are assessed at $128,361, which includes the United 
States gold placers which yielded $12,000 last year in the precious metal. 
Here, there are plenty of opv ortunities for the farmer. With 11,000 acre: 
under irrigation, Montrose can produce almost everything; the wheat crop 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. ]01 

last year, from 1,500 acres, was 30,000 bushels; oats, from 4,500 acres, 
yielded 150,000 busHels; barley, from 231 acres, 9,000 bushels; corn, from 
700 acres, 15,000 busnels; jotatoes, from 300 acres, 46,000 bushels; native 
grass, 2,000 tons; alfalfa, from 1,300 acres, 2,000 tons; sorghum, from 15 
acres, 1,700 gallons. Montro e coianty produced last year as its wool clip, 
120,000 pouu.ls. The live stock is as follows: Cattle, 2,700 head; sheep, 
10,000; horses, 3,800; dairy cows, 600; and hogs, 317. The induceinents for 
settlers are a ready market and large and varied crops. 



MORGAN. 



A RAPAHOE forms the southern boundary line of Morgan couuty; on 
/ \ the east Washington and Logan, and Weld countj' on the north 
/ \ and west. March 19, 1889 '^^s the date it was organized, and Weld 
is the count}' from which it was taken. It takes its name as does 
also the county seat. Fort Morgan, from Colonel Christopher A. Morgan, 
late of the United States Army, who died in 1866. This was the country 
formerljr known as "Fort Morgan flat," a wide stretch of rolling prairie land. 
Through it the South Platte river flows, the banks of which are lined with 
a luxurious growth of Cottonwood trees. This valley, as with the Bijou and 
Beaver valleys, is rich in grasses and is thickly settled. The population of 
the county is 2,000, and the important towms are Fort Morgan, Brush, Corona 
and Orchard. Farming and stock raising are the sources of wealth. The 
inhabitants are an intellegent class of people from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, 
New York and Pennsylvania. As to wealth there is a uniformity; all are 
prosperous and no extremes exist. In 1889 the valuations are fixed at f 1,000, 
000 with a taxation of I3 on the f 100. There is no county debt. There are 
seven public schools; a school census of 350 and public school property 
aggregating $19,000. The Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist and 
Baptist have places of worship. The total number of acres available for 
agriculture is 529,000, for grazing purposes 300,000, and the total acreage 
iinder ditch is 200,000. Unoccupied public land available for agriculture is 
about 300,000 acres. About fifteen canals have been constructed for irri- 
gating purposes, agregating 200 miles in extent. The Burlington and 
Missouri River and the Union Pacific railroads furnish the facilities for 
seventy-nine miles of territoty. Morgan county is within the 100 mile belt 
from the Rocky Mountains declared to be best for lung troubles. The total 
acreage in grain this year is 15,000, which from the productive nature of the 
soil will produce abundantly. The estimated yield per acre is, wheat, 22 
bushels; oats, 35; barley, 40; corn, 35. For these crops the ruling price is, 
wheat, $1.25 per hundred; oats. So cents; barley, I1.45 per hundred; corn, 
90 cents. The surplus of the product finds a ready market at Denver and 
Kansas City. Water costs ^2 per acre for the season. Whilst farming is 
gaining the ascendency in the county the grazing interests are enjoying an 
unprecedented season of good luck. The estimated number of cattle is 
20,000 head; horses, 3,0 jo; sheep raised for mutton, 10,000 head; sheep 
raised for wool, 35,000. 



102 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

OTERO. 

OTERO is an old Spanish family name, and its present distinguished 
representative is ex-Senator Otero, after whom the county is named. 
The county was organized May 3, 1889, being taken from Bent. 
Valuations are fixed at $2,500,000 and there is a rate of taxation of 
two per cent. The assumed county debt is $22, 000, with county warrants 
selling at par. The population is 5,000, of which La Junta, the county seat, 
has 2,000. The other towns are Rocky Ford and Fowler. Otero countj^ 
being on the Arkansas and Las Animas rivers has plenty of water for the 
2,052 square miles which constitute its area. The alluvial and sandy loam 
soil is rich and agriculture and stock raising pay. There is considerable 
Cottonwood timber. The school census gives 1,000 children, with eight 
schools, and fos.ooo worth of school property. All denominations flourish. 
Lands available for agriculture are i,ouo,ooo acres; for grazing 313,280 
acres; total acreage now under ditch, 50,000. The unoccupied public lands 
available for agriculture are 800,000 acres; unsold State land, 200,000 acres. 
From superficial indications there is coal in abundance but no mining has 
yet been done, though companies for that purpose are now being organized. 
A fine quality of limestone good for building purposes has been uncovered 
and the quarries that have been developed are being operated with profit. 
There are five irrigating canals with 100 miles of ditch, and the Atchison, 
Topeka and Santa Fe, Atlantic and Pacific and the Missouri River railroads 
run through the county with a trackage of no miles. The altitude is 4,061 
feet ; there are two mineral springs, and in other respects the climate is 
admirably adapted for people afflicted with asthma and lung troubles. 
Plenty of good land, lots of water, a salubrious climate and a good market 
are the inducements for settlers. The total acreage in grain this year is 
12,000, with a yield of wheat per acre 20 bushels ; oats, 40; and corn, 35. 
These products bring : wheat, fi.25 per bushel ; oats, fi.io ; r}'e, 90 cents ; 
corn, 50 cents. Two hundred acres in fruit are bearing, of which 1,000 trees 
are apple, 300 peach, 100 pear. The yield of raspberries is 200 quarts ; 
grapes, 4,000 pounds; currants, 1,000 quarts; strawberries, 1,500 quarts. 
In truck growing the gardens produced $30,000, with Pueblo, Leadville and 
Denver as the markets. Water melons are a staple and Rocky Ford as the 
centre of the watermelon industry has become widely known. It is here 
that the State has established an agricultural experiment station. The 
average cost of water per acre, per season, is $1.50. The cattle industry, 
too, is thriving; over 60, oco head are on the range; horses, 10,000; sheep 
raised for mutton, 2,000; sheep raised for wool, 10,000 ; hogs, 3,000. Otero 
county has developed faster, perhaps, than any other of the recent acqui- 
sitions to the State's count}^ organization, especially in the vicinity of Rocky 
Ford, where fruit flourishes to a remarkable degree. The watermelon trade 
is the largest of any section in the south and west. It not only supplies 
Denver and the surrounding territory, but the best of this luscious fruit 
consumed in 'Kansas City and other Eastern cities comes from Rocky Ford. 
From a small village it has grown to a population of 1,500 within a few 
months. In a few years it will be the wealthiest and largest town in the 
countv. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. ^^3 

OURAY. 

OURAY county receives its name from the chief of the Uncompahgre 
Utes, a friendly Indian who rendered the early settlers of Western 
Colorado much service in frequent quarrels with the people of his 
tribe. On the north of the county Montrose is located; Gunnison 
on the east, San Miguel and San Juan on the south, and Montrose and San 
Miguel on the west. Ouray is the county seat, a flourishing town depend- 
ent largely upon the mining industr}' for support. The principal streams 
are the Uncompahgre river, and Cafion, Red Mountain, Bear, Oak and 
Dallas creeks, and the Dallas Fork of the Uncompahgre river. All over 
the county there is timber, forests of yellow pine, spruce, balsam and quak- 
ing asp. The surface of the county generally is mountainous. The popu- 
lation is 2,500, engaged almost exclusively in mining. The general charac- 
ter of the mineral formation is gold and silver allied with the baser metals 
and is found in vertical fissure veins, in the rock known locally as trachyte, 
and is from 3,000 to 4,000 feet in thickness. The precious metals are 
also found in veins which cut through the sedimentary and metamorphic 
rock. The product includes gold, silver, lead and copper, and the districts 
in which mining is done are Sneffels, Poughkeepsie, Red Mountain, Paquin 
and Uncompahgre. The first discovery was made in 1875 in the Fisherman 
and Wheel of Fortune mines and the good luck of the camp has continued 
ever since. The Denver and Rio Grande railway extends from the north 
boundary to Ouray, passing through Dallas and Portland, two other flour- 
ishing camps. Whilst mining is the chief occupation, some attention is 
paid to farming. There are 4,000 acres under ditch and 1,600 for pasture. 
The crops last year were wheat, 1,774 bushels; oats, 50,385 bushels; barley, 
1,167 bushels; rye, 120 bushels; potatoes, 11,000 bushels; native grass, 
i.ioD tons; strawberries, 2,470 quarts; currants, 876 quarts; butter, 1,500 
pounds; cattle, 1,70::) head, and horses, 400 head. The assessed valuation 
of Ouray county is ^928,647, of which 11217,656 is on farming and improve- 
ments; $168,637 on twenty-nine miles of railroad; manufactures, $67,000; 
horses, $35,000; cattle, $33,000; money and credits, $17,000; mines, $128,- 
361. The diOiculty with Ouray county for the past ten years has been the 
freight tariff" which was so heavy that to take ore to Denver would consume 
all that the metal brought. Ouray now has its own concentrators and 
steam jigs for lead ores, its own lixiviation works for the gray copper and 
chloride deposits, its own stamp mills for gold ores, and owners of low and 
medium grade properties have a market for their production which does 
not consume the bulk of their labor in railway and smelting charges. The 
output for last year was $1,609,208.79, of which $24,288 was in gold; $1,- 
303,882.92 in silver; $177,885 in lead, and $103,152 in copper. The produc- 
tion this year will be largely increased by the gold discoveries which have 
occurred within the last few months in hitherto unprospected portions of 
the county. In this respect the mining industry of Ouray is extremely 
flattering, inasmuch as in the past attention has been almost wholly directed 
to the silver pr educing mines. The hope that there may be another Gilpin 
county in the Si ^te is one of the chief causes which enter into the existing 
condition of thin 'S and give to the people of Ouray the benefits of a sub- 
stantial improvement in every walk of business life. 



104 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

PARK. 

IN i860 the county was organized and since that time has been prosperous. 
It is named from South Park, which forms the center — a most pic- 
turesque and a highly fruitful section of the State. The population is 
5,000 from the Eastern States. The towns are Fairplay, the county 
seat. Alma, Como, King, Howbert, Jefferson, Webster, Dake, Bailey and 
Hartsel. Stock and hay raising, lumbering and mining are the industries. 
There being no debt, the rate of taxation is low, sixteen mills for all pur- 
poses. Eighteen public schools give instruction to 800 pupils, and the 
school property is valued at ^35,000. Three denominations flourish, Metho- 
dist, Catholic and Presbyterian. Three hundred thousand is the acreage of 
the arable land: Grazing, 600,000 acres; agricultural land now under 
ditch, 150,000 acres. In 1859 Buckskin Joe made the first discovery of 
precious metal in Buckskin district. The other districts are Horseshoe, 
Mosquito, Sacramento, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Hall Valley, Tarryall, 
Beaver Creek and Weston Pass. The ores are lime and lead, carrying gold, 
silver, copper and lead. The estimated output for the entire county this year 
is 5600,000, largely lead. Thirty mines are in operation, and eight smelters, 
stamp mills, etc., the whole industry sustaining 3,000 people. The future 
of mining promises well, especially in the lead mines of Horseshoe district. 
Both coal and iron exist in great quantities, the coal running in vertical 
veius. There is one coal mine in active operation, but others are undevel- 
oped. The total number of acres of unoccupied grazing land available for 
agriculture is 500,000; total number of acres of State land unsold, 100,000. 
In every direction there are vast quantities of building stone, and from the 
Saline wells a desirable quantity of salt is taken. There are 140 cauals 
With 350 miles of irrigation. The Colorado Midland, Loudon and Ivcadville, 
and Denver and South Park are the railroads of the county, with a trackage 
of 153 miles. Along the whole of Platte Canon there are fine resorts, 
plenty of scenery and a wealth of shade. The Hartsel Hot Springs afford 
great attractions. In fact, the whole county is unexcelled as a summer 
residence. For scenery, fine fishing and hunting. South Park receives favor- 
able attention everywhere. Next to mining, grazing takes place. This year 
there are 24,000 head of catde on the hills; 900 horses; and sheep, aggregating 
23,000, raised mostly for wool. Farming receives considerable attention. 
Every product for home consumption is raised, and the farmers are flourish- 



PHILLIPS. 



PHIIvL/IPS county was taken from Logan county in March, 1889. It 
borders on Nebraska. It derives its name from R. O. Phillips, who 
has been instrumental in settling up the county. Seven thousand is 
the population, mostly from Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska and the 
Southern States. There is no indebtedness save the $7,000 invested in 
school lands, and the tax is 40 mills. The number of public schools is 39 ; 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



105 



school census, 450 ; value of school property, 115,000. The Methodists 
Presb3'terians, Evangelical, Baptists, Christians and Dunkards have flour- 
ishing congregations. Nine-tenths of the entire county is available for 
agriculture, but in the absence of ditches the county is yet mostly devoted 
to the range interests. Thus far the success met with in the growth of 
cereals and fruit is flattering. There are 150,000 acres in grain this year, 
yielding per acre: wheat, 25 bushels; oats, 20; rye, 15; barley, 30; corn, 
40. The ruling price per bushel is: wheat, 75 cents; oats, 50 cents ; rye, 
40 cents ; barley, 50 cents ; corn, 20 cents. Three hundred acres of fruit 
trees have been put in as an experiment. About 3,500 pounds of butter 
and cheese were made and used in the county. The markets for the 
sale of products are Denver, Cheyenne and Omaha. There are this year 
4,000 head of cattle on the range ; i,olo horses, 2,000 sheep, and 500 hogs. 
There is no irrigation fee and the water used is not bought. The Burling- 
ton railroad's new Cheyenne branch enters the county at the northeast 
corner ; thence to Holyoke, the capital of the county, iu the center, and 
thence westward into Logan county. Frenchman's creek flows from west 
to east, passing Haxtum, Paoli and Wakeman on its way. Amherst, Ever- 
son and Br3'ant are small towns in other portions of the county. Inasmuch 
as the character of Phillips county is the same as the flourishing counties 
to the west and south, the presumption is that next year, when the experi- 
mental crops have been successful as they will, the people will see a greatly 
increased population. It is in the direct track of immigration and it re- 
quires only a few good crops to attract the eye of the settler. 



PITKIN. 

PITKIN county lies east of Lake county, from which it is divided by 
the Saguache mountains. North of Pitkin are the counties of Eagle 
and Garfield, Mesa and Gunnison form the eastern and southern 
boundar}^ lines. The Elk mountains range the western portion, and 
between these mountains and the Saguache mountains the Cimarron river 
flows, fertilizing a rich valley. Aspen in the center is the county seat, and 
is the competitive camp with Leadville in the production of precious metals. 
From a mining camp Aspen has within a very short time been metamor- 
phosed into a beautiful city, built upon the mines that were opened in the 
town's early history. Its store of wealth is in a contact in lime formation 
represented upon Haydeu's chart by the line of silurian upheaval and out- 
crop. The contact between the lower lime, known as magnesian lime or 
dolomite, and the overlying stratum of pure carbonate of lime is the min- 
eral bearing zone. The lode is known to be forty miles in length, and is 
traced in a north aud south course entirely across Pitkin county. Develop- 
ment begun on the mountain sides near Aspen, has been extended north- 
ward to the top of Smuggler mountain, and southward to Tourtellotte, 
making a producing area of three and a half miles. It can be readily un- 
derstood that vast possibilities lie before Pitkin county. Besides the 

14 



|Q(5 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

resources of this lode there are the mines of Maroon Creek district, the 
fissure veins in Conundrum gulch and about Ashcroft, the rich leads of Lin- 
coln gulch, the valuable gold deposits of Independence, the copper ore 
beds on Snow Mesa and the undeveloped section on Rock creek. To give 
in detail the great wealth that has been extracted from Aspen and vicinity 
within the year would fill many pages. Suffice it to state that in i88S the 
total prodtiction was 17,954,075, of which ^^783, 032 was in lead, |i2,7i6 in 
gold and $7,158,327 in silver. There are hundreds of mines to be developed 
that will produce equally as well as any that have yet been developed. The 
great area has only been partially prospected, and thousands of acres are 
open to location by prospectors. Even in the sections which are most 
thoroughly covered by locations there are new discoveries occurring almost 
daily. Pitkin county is also rich in coal, iron, marble and in agricultural 
resources. The entire valley of the Roaring Fork and its many tributaries 
are susceptible of irrigation. There are 2,724 acres under irrigation, and 
the products last year were: wheat, 932 bushels; oats, 32,082; barley, 337; 
potatoes, 27,778; native grass, 284 tons; butter, 2,000 pounds. For these 
products good prices are obtained, and the supply even at high figures does 
not equal the demand. As a place of abode Pitkin county offers many in- 
ducements aside from its vast repositories of wealth. The city of Aspen 
itself has an altitude of 7,700 feet, which fact enables the work of develop- 
ment to proceed throughout the 3-ear without loss of time to the wage 
earner. The present population is 8,000, and the city is supplied with elec- 
tric lights, efficient water works, banking houses, public schools, churches 
and ample railroad, telegraph and telephone facilities. The Roaring Fork 
river can be made especially valuable for its water power, and at a no dis- 
tant day this power will be utilized for manufacture and for mineral develop- 
ment. The completion of the tramway that is now being constructed to 
Tourtellotte park will aid materially to Aspen's progress, as in its construc- 
tion all the mines in the vicinity will be afforded the facility of a cheap and 
expeditious transportation instead of the present tedious and costly system 
of jack packing. Pitkin county was but recently created, and since it has 
developed wonderfully. It receives its name from Governor Pitkin, now 
deceased, and if its future is to be judged by its past record it will continue 
to be one of the greatest wealth producers in the State. 



PROWERS. 

PROWERS county is in the extreme southeastern part of the State and 
is bounded west by Bent, north by Kiowa and south by Baca. On 
the east is Kansas. Being less than a year old there are no county 
buildings. It has an area of 1,658 square miles, through which runs 
the Arkansas river. The surface is slightly undulating, of a sandy loam, and 
fertile, especially in the valleys. The population is about 3,000, and the 
principal towns are Lamar, the county seat, Grenada, Holly, Carlton and 
Mulvrane. The people come from all portions of the country and engage 
in farming and stock raising. From the time of John Prowers, the first 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 107 

white settler, after whom the county is named, to 1889, when created, it has 
ever been a fine grazing section. The assessed valuation is |i, 500,000, and 
about three per cent, taxation, outside of municipal corporations. The debt 
assumed as part of the debt of Bent county, of which it was a part, amounts 
to $10,000. There are eighteen public schools, with 600 pupils, and I50,- 
000 in school propert}'. There are three churches. Almost the entire area 
of the county is agricultural land, available for agriculture, and the ditches 
projected, when completed, will cover at least 200,000 acres. There are 
five canals with about 150 miles of irrigation. The Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe runs thirty-eight miles through the county. Farming, under irri- 
gation, and stock raising are the inducements to settlers. This new county 
has the land office at Lamar, which will prove a powerful factor in filling up 
the country. There is plenty of water in the Arkansas, the soil is fertile 
upon the plains, and the construction of irrigating ditches will take from 
the cattlemen these wide feeding grounds and convert them into beautiful 
and well paying farms. The second town of importance is Grenada, on the 
Arkansas and at the mouth of Grenada creek. It is but eight miles from 
the Kansas line and is already receiving additions to its population, drawn 
from that State into the Lamar land district. This county has grown within 
the last four years. Prior to that time, it was but a dreary waste, indeed. 



PUEBLO. 

PUEBLO county is sixty-four miles in length and the same number in 
breadth. Through it the Arkansas river flow? from west to east. 
The other rivers are the Huerfano and St. Char es, with innumerable 
small creeks and springs. In the center of the county is situated 
Pueblo, the county seat and next to Denver the largest and most important 
city in the Rocky Mountain region. Situated as it is on the Arkansas river, 
the city of Pueblo is the threshold over which passes the volume of inter- 
mountain travel and the vast commerce between the Pacific Slope and the 
cities on the eastern side of the range. It is a city of great possibilities. 
The climate is healthful. Surrounding it is a large area of rich and pro- 
ductive lands. And last but not least is the importance she bears as a rail- 
road center and a city of manufactures. Pueblo is the pivotal point of the 
Denver and Rio Grande system, whence its lines radiate north, south and 
west, penetrating the mountain passes and reaching every mining camp, in 
Central and Southern Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and by connecting 
lines. Old Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho and Montana. Lowest 
in elevation, the city is reached from every point by down grade. It was this 
fact that induced the Colorado Coal and Iron Company to establish here 
their great iron and steel works and the Pueblo and Colorado smelting and 
refining companies, and it is this fact that will multiply institutions of this 
kind. Pueblo couut_v is bountifully provided with resorts for pleasure and 
health. There are magnetic springs at Pueblo of certain relief in instances 
of Bright's disease, liver complaint, iirinary, skin and blood diseases, rheu- 
matism, paralysis and dj^spepsia. The altitude is about 4.000 feet, and pro- 



108 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

tected as the county is by llie Greenhorn range on the west and north-west, 
there is no severe winter and all the year around the climate is pleasant, 
equable and life sustaining. According to the record kept at the United 
States signal service station in the vicinity of Paeblo, there were only seven- 
teen days during which the sun was invisible from January, 1873, to Septem- 
ber, 1878, a period of nearly five years. In point of population by compari- 
son, the public school systems are greatly superior to Eastern educational 
centers. The daily attendance is about 4,000 children, which does not include 
the well patronized private institutions of the Sisters of L/oretto, the Methodist 
College and the Catholic free school. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, 
Missouri Pacific, Denver, Texas and Fort Worth, Denver and Rio Grande, 
Colorado Midland, Denver, Rio Grande and Trinidad, and the Rock Island 
enter Pueblo and add materially to the city's wealth. But it is the manufac- 
ture interests that make Pueblo county what it is. Within easy reach are 
all the essentials required — coal, iron, petroleum, etc., and that, too, cheaply. 
There is the Pueblo Smelting and Pv.efining Company, the oldest lead 
smelter in the Arkansas Valley, with a capacity of 12,000 tons of ore per 
month and the turning out of 4,500,000 to 5,000,000 ounces of silver and gold 
per year, and 150 car loads of pig iron per month, besides manufacturing 
lead pipe, bar lead, type metal, ingot copper, etc. The works of the Colo- 
rado Smelting Company are on the mesa between the town of Bessemer and 
the city of Pueblo, and their capacity for treating is 200 tons of ore per da}' and 
the production of 10,000 tons of bullion per year. The Colorado Coal and 
Iron Company's iron and steel works near Pueblo cover an area of sixty acres 
of ground, and are the largest works of the kind in the country. The other 
leading manufactures are, the Newton Trunk Company, the Pueblo Foundry 
and Machine Shops, the Pueblo Public Sampling Works, the Pickle, Vinegar 
and Canning Company, and the Crown Flouring Mill. In the western part 
of the county agriculture is prospering. There are at least 700,000 acres of 
available land for irrigation and the government land covers an area of 605,- 
000 acres. The lands of Pueblo county from all sources are: private grants, 
173,678 acres; school lands, 69,760; State indemnity selected land, recently 
approved, 130,240 acres, formerly approved 7,320; entered lands, 512,271; 
vacant government lands, 605,060; total, 1,498,329. There are 125 ditches 
now in use, aggregating 360 miles, with 7,000 acres under cultivation and 
25,000 acres to be irrigated. The total acreage in grain this year is 15,000, 
with a probable average yield of wheat, 20 bushels per acre; oats, 40; rye, 
20; corn, 20. The ruling price in market in wheat, 85 cents per bushel; oats, 
30 cents; corn, 60 cents. There are 2,000 acres in fruit, all bearing this year, 
principally in apples and plums. The yield in strawberries was this year 25,000 
quarts; grapes, 6,000 pounds; currants, 200 quarts. The dairies yielded 
60,000 pounds of butter, and the estimated product of the market gardens 
exceeded |2o,ooo, all of which was realized in home consumption. The cattle 
industry reports 50,000 head on the range, and 10,000 head of horses. Over 
40,000 sheep were raised, of which 20,000 were used for mtitton and the re- 
mainder for the wool clip. The assessed valuation for Pueblo county is 
$11,025,000 or an actual valuation of $22,000,000, and the tax rate on this is 
19K niills. The existing debt for all purposes is $375,500. In the city of 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES- 109 

Pueblo there are many fine buildings, which include the Court House, three 
stories in height, the State Insane Asylum, the County Jail and a poor house 
costing 185,000. In the valley immediately tributar}^ to Pueblo there will, 
when the projects are completed, be seven canals which will irrigate 440,000 
acres of land. The Arkansas Valley as it spreads out through the country 
presents numerous orchards and farms. Dairying is steadily growing in im- 
portance. With its great supply of water there is every reason to hope for 
Pueblo county a great future, second to no other county in the State. 



RIO BLANCO. 

RIO BLANCO, or the "White river" country, is the northern half of 
Garfield county. It was here the late Ute trouble occurred, at 
Rangely, sixteen miles from the Utah line, and Rio Blanco, then 
Garfield, was also the scene of the Ute uprising, when Agent Meeker 
was massacred and Thornburgh and his command annihilated. Until within 
a few mouths, the earth works, the bones of animals and the trappings and 
paraphernalia of the troops were heaped upon the ground where Thorn- 
burgh was ambushed, but the rapid increase of population and the settle- 
ment of the county have convcs'-ted the battle field on White river into fruitful 
farms. A rough monument erected by the United States Government alone 
marks the place. Rio Blanco count}'^ contains 3,000 square miles. It was 
created last winter from Garfield county, and the valuation this year is $900, 
000. The tax rate has not been fixed. The debt assumed is $40,670. Thepopu- 
is 2,000, of which Meeker, the county seat, has 500. The towns of White 
River and Thornburgh have been laid out and platted. At the heads of all 
the streams and in the valleys there are forests of pine, spruce, hemlock 
and fir. The coal hog-back runs from south to north, and at the head of the 
White river there are some mountains. In other respects, the surface is 
rolling and affords excellent opportunities for ranching and stock raising. 
The total acreage of land available for agriculture is 50,000; for grazing, 
1,500,000; agricultural land now under ditch, 15,000; unoccupied govern- 
ment land available for agriculture, 15,000. In 1883, low grade silver was 
discovered in the eastern part of the county, but owing to the lack of rail- 
road and smelting facilities, the prospects were never developed. The 
great coal belt of Crested Butte and New Castle extends through the county. 
Four mines are in operation, but there being no outlet, the coal is mined 
for home consumption only. In some places the veins are thirty feet thick, 
and in appearance, there are from twelve to fifteen of these, overtopping 
each other. It requires only the advent of the railroads to develop greatly 
these vast bodies. Large quantities of lime are found, and one kiln, near 
Meeker, produces all that can be used at present. Oil has been discovered 
and companies are forming for the purpose of development. There is also 
a good quality of buihling stone, and all the brick that is required is made 
in the county. The school census is 275, with seven schools, and school 
property to the value of |i5,ooo. The climate is about the same as in Den- 
ver, and springs of salt, iron and soda abound, though undeveloped. Just 



110 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

now, among sportsmen, Rio Blanco is the favorite county for game and fish. 
It is a remarkably rich country because of its loamy soil. The agricultural 
lands equal any in the State. Here the grazing is perfect, and there being 
an unlimited supply of water, the attention of new-comers is directed to 
Rio Blanco as a desirable place for settlement. It is believed that the 
population this year will be doubled. One of the ditches to be built will 
distribute water over the whole of White River mesa, opposite Meeker. As 
a result of the construction of this and other ditches, at least 50,000 acres 
will be brought under cultivation. 



RIO GRANDE. 

THE county of Rio Grande receives its name from the river which 
flows through it. On the north is Saguache county; on the east 
Costilla and Conejos; on the south Conejos, and on the west Hins- 
dale. Del Norte is the county seat, with a population of 1,000. On 
the west side of the river are heavy forests of pine. The soil is a rich, 
sandy loam and very productive. There is a population of 4,000 in the 
county, and the other important town aside from Del Norte is Monte Vista. 
Farming, stock raising and mining are the industries, and the people are 
prosperous. Rio Grande county was created from Conejos county in 1874, 
at which time the valuation was 1327,865; the valuation to-day is |i, 482, 320 
with a tax of 5 mills. The debt, based on constitutional limit, is 57o>ooo; 
including the scrip actually out it is estimated at $170,000. The Catholics, 
Methodists and Presbyterians have churches and one Sabbath school for 
each denomination. Summitville and Jasper are the principal mining dis- 
tricts of the county and the ores mined are gold, silver and lead. The first 
discovery was made in 1869, at Summitville. At Summitville alone there 
are four stamp mills. Mining, however, is in its infancy, and from successes 
in the past the people hope much of the future. About forty-five miles from 
Del Norte are bituminous coal beds which have been worked for a long 
time, and with profit. The coal is not confined to this section alone; in 
various parts of the county coal abounds and it is the development of these 
banks, to supply the great San Luis valley, that will prove of vast import- 
ance. Rio Grande has numerous varieties of building stone, and the 
chances for capital here are abundant. Wagon Wheel Gap, Del Norte and 
Shaw's Springs are the natural attractions; well supplied with hot springs 
and scenery the most picturesque. There are 100,000 acres of land under 
improvement, and the valuation of this is 1364,685. With its sixty miles 
of railroad the county realizes upon its valuation of |33i,576. The total 
valuation of the county is $1,482,320, which sum includes for mines $125,- 
565. In the county there are 12,000 head of sheep; cattle, 8,000; horses, 
3,000. Last year the mines realized in gold $17,000, silver $5,000, or a 
total product of $22,000. In Rio Grande county there are 25,000 acres 
under ditch and 19,000 for pasture. From 2,500 acres, last year, 58,000 
bushels of wheat were raised; 79,000 bushels of oats from 3,100 acres; 11,- 
000 bushels of barley from 300 acres; 55,000 bushels of potatoes from 314 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. m 

acres; over 5,000 tons of native grass were cut. Small fruits were raised as 
follows: strawberries, 1,292 quarts; raspberries, 145 quarts, and currants, 
355 quarts. Over 32,000 pounds of butter were made; over 63,000 pounds 
of wool were shorn, and the live stock produced was as follows: dairy cows, 
506; horses, 1,139; cattle, 5,978; sheep, 8,950. The markets in the mining 
towns consume the product, and the prices are good. These are the induce- 
ments offered by the people of that county to new settlers. 



ROUTT. 



THIS magnificent stretch of country is ninet)^ by fifty miles in extent, 
and is situated in the extreme northwestern portion of the State. 
The Park range of the Continental Divide is the eastern boundary; 
upon the west lies Utah ; upon the north Wyoming, and Rio Blanco 
and Eagle counties on the south. It is the largest grazing county in the 
State, and the last foothold of the cattle barons before the advancing hosts 
of farmers and less pretentious ranchmen. Routt county takes its name 
from the assistant postmaster general under Grant, who subsequently 
became governor of Colorado, Hon. J. L. Routt of Denver. No other 
county is so well watered. The multitude of springs forming creeks in the 
eastern part and increasing in volume to rivers in the center, empty into 
the Yampa or Bear river, The largest of these tributaries are the Green and 
Little Snake rivers, and so well watered is the county that hardly a foot of 
the rich prairie is not capable of growing good crops. The highlands are 
the Dauforth hills, Pinon and Midland ridges on the south, the Escalante 
hills on the west, and the Elk Head mountains on the northwest. The prin- 
cipal town is Hahn's Peak, the scene of considerable excitement over the 
late gold discoveries in that region. There being no railroads in the county 
the population is sparce, but with the incoming of the Denver and Leaven- 
worth Short Line, which is to enter the county at Steamboat Springs, a rush 
of settlers is anticipated. Upon the broad acres there is room for those who 
come and plenty of land for all. This county, is the least developed of any 
of the counties, and in natural resources is the equal of any in point of 
future development. The valuation for last year is 1885,393, of which $125,- 
308 is upon lands and improvements; |200,ooo on horses, and ^510,000 upon 
cattle. There are upon the range 50,000 head of cattle; 10,000 head of 
horses, and 10,000 sheep. The number of acres under irrigation is 2,662; 
the number of acres for pasture, 15,200. Crops were grown last year as fol- 
lows: Wheat, 602 bushels; oats, 8,500; barley, 61; rye; 22; corn, 275; pota- 
toes, 5,184; native grass, 5,435 tons; alfalfa, 10; wool shorn, 44,560. Routt 
couut}^ was organized in 1877, having been taken from Grand county. 
Three years later its population was only 140. Underhnng this county there 
are great beds of coal, and at various places oil is apparent upon the sur- 
face. Hot springs are found in abundance ; the most notable of these being 
at Steamboat, an embryo resort at the foot of the Park ^range. Here there 
are more than eighty springs, the waters of which are strongly recommended 



112 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

by all who have visited them. Steamboat Springs some day will be a great 
resort, and it is believed that already the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul 
Company have their eyes directed thence for their trans-continental line. 



SAGUACHE. 

SAGUACHE is one of the oldest counties in the State. In 1870, its 
population was 300, ten years later the population had increased to 
2,000. It is now estimated at 3,000. Mining, stockraising and farm- 
ing are its industries. The Sangre de Cristo or " Blood of Christ " 
range forms the eastern boundary; on the south are Costilla and Rio Grande 
counties; on the west, Hinsdale and Gunnison counties; and on the north, 
Gunnison, Chaflfee and Fremont counties. A large portion of the county is 
a fertile valley, through which the Saguache river runs, and drains the 
mountain ranges on either side, only to disappear in the mysterious lake of • 
San Luis, six miles below the boundary line. Saguache, in the center of 
this valley, is the county seat; Bonanza is an important town. In the south- 
eastern part of the county is the "Luis Maria Baca Grant No. Four," a 
tract of land 930,000 acres in extent. The mining industry is promising, 
though development is slow, owing to the dearth of facilities. Last year, 
the output was $76,534, of which, $2,847 was in copper, 19,836 in- lead, 
|4,220 in gold, and $56,629 in silver. Agricultvirally, the county is prosper- 
ous. There are 74,400 acres under irrigation, 117,075 acres in pasture, and 
the crops raised last year were: Wheat, 24,696 bushels; oats, 106,332 bushels; 
barley, 14,260 bushels; native grass, 28,630 tons; alfalfa, 769 tons. The but- 
ter produced exceeded 4,500 pounds. There were 57,000 pounds of wool 
shorn. The cattle exceeded 26,000 head; sheep, 18,000 head; horses, 35,000 
head. The assessed valuation on lands and improvements was $667,816; on 
fifty-six miles of railroad, $426,083; cattle, $363,068; horses, $154,773; sheep, 
$19,800, money and credits, $18,970; mines, $17,582. The valuation of the 
county is $1,906,115. The scenery of Saguache isnotably fine and possesses 
in one particular, one of the most remarkable feats of engineering skill. 
Reference, of course, is made to Marshall Pass, over which the Denver and 
Rio Grande road climbs in its ascent over the top of the Continental Divide, 
10,852 feet above the level of the sea. Whilst there are no established 
resorts for invalids, the entire county is desirable and in the valleys are 
found an abundance of shade, mineral springs, and a condition climatically 
calculated to prolong life to a good old age. Just now, the cattle industry 
is the most thrifty of the three industries upon which Saguache county 
depends for support. There are coal and oil, but undeveloped, and in the 
hills a fine quality of building stone is excavated. There is no dearth of 
timber and natural resources in other respects, and it only requires capital 
and railroad connection with the markets to make the county exceedingly- 
wealthy. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 113 

SAN JUAN. 

THE " vSilver}- San Juan" has been a theme for a long time in the 
guide books of the State, but not without merit, however. It not 
only sounds well rhetorically, but in verity the country is all that the 
title implies. Located as it is in the center of a rich mineral deposit 
the development in this respect has been rapid. Gold and argentiferous 
galena are the metals, and the formation is porphyry, trachyte, granite and 
schist. The first discoveries were in i860, but being remote from railroad 
facilities the county's development has been slow. As this difficulty has 
now in a measure been overcome, progress has been more satisfactor}-. 
The estimated output for the county this jear from the districts of Eureka, 
Las Animas and Red Mountain, will be $2,500,000. In this territory there 
are about sixt}' mines in operation, five stamp mills, two samplers, and one 
concentrator. Of the population of 2,500, 1,800 depend upon mining for 
support. The whole community, however, is prosperous. The people for 
the most part are foreign born, from p;ngland, Wales, Ireland and Germany, 
and as a rule they are thrifty. San Juan county was created in 1876, the 
year Colorado became a State. Silverton is the coiinty seat and has 1,500 
population. The assessed valuation is fir, 000,000, with a tax of four per 
cent. The debt is f 200, 000. The estimated school census is 350, with school 
• property to the value of |io,ooo. Congregational and Catholic are the 
denominations. The assessed valuation aggregates 1999,400, of which $88,- 
996 is on railroads; 1141,392 on town and citj' lots; $297,144 on mines. The 
only assessment on improved land is $550, which shows that there is no cul- 
tivation, and that edibles are ])rought into the county from the surrounding 
sections. It is exclusivel}- a mining country, and it makes no pretensions 
to anything else. There is some iron, a great deal of building material, but 
no shipments of either are made. The peak of King Soloman is north of 
the center, and the peaks of vSultan and Engineer mountains rear their 
heads in the southwest. The whole county can not be excelled in pictur- 
escjue beauty. The Denver and Rio Grande extends from the south to the 
north, tracing the Las Animas river to its source near Animas Forks. There 
is a quantity of arable land upon which hardy grains and fruits may be 
grown, and in the valleys and among the timbered land there is e.xcellent 
pasture. There is plenty of water and ample room for a large colony of .set- 
tlers, and it is more than probable this year that the San Juan will make 
some effort to fructifv this virgin field. 



SAN MIGUEL. 

S.VN MIGUEL takes its name from the river the source of which is in 
the valleys southeast of the San Miguel plateau. The county is 
about sixty miles in length and twenty miles in width, with Utah as 
its western boundary line, and Ouray and vSan Juan counties bounding 
ing it on the east, Montrose upon the north and Dolores county upon the 
south. Its population is 3,000, of which Telluride, the county seat, has 
15 



114 COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

1,500. The other important towns are Ophir and Placerville. Mining, 
stock growing and farming are the industries. The county was created in 
1885 from Ouray county. At that time the assessed vahiation was 116,841; 
this year the valuation is 1814,445. I" ^876 mineral was first discovered, 
and the county has since been organized into the districts of Upper and 
Lower vSan Miguel, Turkey Creek, Iron Springs, Trout Lake and Mount 
Wilson. The resources are gold, silver, lead, copper and coal. Last year 
the output from these mines aggregated $1,555,132, of which $424,706 was 
gold, $1,095,693 silver and $34,732 lead. This year it is estimated that the 
output will reach $2,000,000, the product of eighteen mines. In 1881 dis- 
coveries of coal were made and as development has progressed great bodies 
have been vincovered. The total acreage available for agriculture is great, 
and doiTble this is the acreage for grazing. This area is well watered, has 
plenty of timber and a soil remarkably rich. The cattlemen report 10,000 
head of cattle upon the grazing grounds, 400 horses and 10,000 sheep. In 
the noithern part of the county is a tract known as the Shenandoah valley, 
embracing 32,000 aci^es. Its soil is of a reddish brown of great depth and 
exceeding richness, and is being rapidly filled with a thrifty class of settlers. 
The whole county, as a matter of fact, is rapidly developing, and the stock 
industry especially is thrifty. The assessment on cattle alone, last year, 
shows $129,450 on 9,439 head, the minimum figures. The total valua- 
tion of the county was $834,765, on an estimated valuation of $2,404,295. 
According to the assessor's returns $54,800 was the value placed upon mines; 
$42,200 on 2,525 acres of land and $219,670 on the improvements; $63,165 
on merchandise; $185,205 on town and city lots; $18,045 ou money and 
credits; $8,450 on household property. The placers of the San Miguel river 
are wonderful. They are rich in the extreme. As the industry progresses 
under the improved condition of a more thickly populated community, 
this .supply is rather increased. Farming, though yet in its infancy, is 
making satisfactory progress. Last year there were reported 185 acres 
under ditch. Wheat, oats, barley and rye grow well and potatoes are 
especially productive. Several large ditches are in course of construction, 
and the projects, when completed, will bring under cultivation the entire 
territory between the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Utah line. 



SEDGWICK. 

IN the extreme north-east is situated the new county of Sedgwick. The 
area is 576 square miles, with Julesburg the county seat. The county was 
created in 1889 from Logan county, and named in honor of General 
vSedgwick. The population is 2,500, of which Julesburg has 800, com- 
posed mostly of settlers from Nebraska and Iowa. Agriculture flourishes 
here, the soil being a sandy loam with a gently undulating surface. The 
county has twenty-four public schools, a census of 500 and public school 
property to the value of $15,000. Denominationally the people support the 
Congregational, Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and Evangelical churches. 
The total acreage of land available for agriculture, 300,000, available for 
grazing, 68,000; unoccupied government land available for agricultiire, 45,000; 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 115 

school land, 12,960. The Julesburg short Hue of the Union Pacific runs 
through the county a distance of forty miles. P'or phthisis the climate is 
excellent, the atmosphere being dry and invigorating. This, with good soil, 
plentj' of rain, an abundance of free land, low rate of taxation, is the in- 
ducement the county offers settlers. Cattle raisers report their industry in 
good condition, with 5,000 head of stock upon the range. The total acreage 
in grain this year is 90,000, with a probable yield of wheat, 20 bushels to the 
acre; oats, 45; rye, 17; barle}', 15, and corn, 40. The average ruling price at 
the nearest market is, wheat, 75 cents per bushel; oats, 25 cents; rye, 50 cents, 
and corn, 20 cents. The dairymen have produced 24,000 pounds of butter 
this year, and 1,500 pounds of cheese. From Sedgwick county the markets 
of Denver, Chej^enne and other points on the railroad are supplied with some 
of the finest produce. It is in the rain belt and as the moisture has been 
abundant the crops are large. There is a strong probability that the railroad 
company will locate shops at Julesburg and make that city a division point. 
A grain elevator will probabl}^ be built this fall and a mill next spring. The 
farmers are all jubilant and the prospects are that this year so great will be 
the boom that thousands of settlers will be added to the county's population. 
Marks Butte is the highest point of land in the county. The water for irri- 
gation when used is taken from Platte river, but being in the rain belt crops 
flourish without irrigation, and the products raised are equal to any in the 
neigboring States of Nebraska or Kansas. 



w 



SUMMIT. 

ITH an altitude of over 7,800 feet for the whole county, there is 
little else to do in vSummit except to mine. As the name implies, 
and the geographical location confirms. Summit county is upon 
the top of the mountain range, with Gray's Peak at one end and 
Lincoln Peak at the other. It was one of the original counties, and even in 
i860, a year or more after the gold deposits were discovered, was rated as a 
great mineral section. The minerals- are gold, silver, lead and copper. 
Crold is found in veins in connection with other minerals; also in native 
purity varying in size from the brightest flakes to nuggets of eight or ten 
pounds. The placers themselves are great producers. Silver is found with 
lead and copper in deposits rather than in fissure and contact veins. The 
principal districts are Blue River, Ten Mile, Snake River and Rock Creek . 
The output this year will approximate $2,000,000, of which gold will value 
1800,000; silver, |;6oo,ooo; lead, $500,000; copper and zinc, |ioo,ooo. There 
are about sevent3'-five mines in operation and about twent}- mills and con- 
centrators. The population dependent upon mining for employment exceeds 
2,500. Summit county has a population of 3,000, of which Breckenridge 
has 1,600, Dillon 300, Kokomo 250, Robinson 200, and Montezuma 200, and 
the people are from every section and are for the most part active and enter- 
prising. Being mountainous the scenery is picturesque ; in summer the weather 
is pleasant; there are plenty of drives and good fishing; the highest peaks and 
ranges accessible; good water and good hotels — all in all the entire county 



l\Q COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

is a most attractive resort for the tourist. For the invalid, however, the 
altitude is hardly suitable, and sufferers should keep in the valleys and low- 
lands generally. Railroad facilities are afforded by the South Park branch 
of the Union Pacific, and by the Denver and Rio Grande. Down the Blue 
river ranchmen feed their herds. Here grass most nutritious is found, and 
there being plenty of good water, stock is fattened upon the range for the 
market. The public school system is good, there being twelve schools well 
well patronized. Three denominations flourish, the Catholic, Methodist and 
Congregational. Last year the total value of ore produced in this county 
was 11,049,204, of which $282,209 was in gold; $650,884 in silver; |ii6,059 
in lead and $51.93 in copper. The assessed valuation for the year was 
$1,065,290, of which $83,427 was on mines; $1,775 on acres of land; $510,661 
on railroads; $26,955 on horses; $28,214 on cattle; $3,950 on money and 
credits. Both the Ihiion Pacific and Burlington have lines surveyed over 
the range west of Ivongmont, with Dillon as an objective point. The former 
company has only about twenty miles to build to make her connection 
complete between the East and West slopes, thus giving to Denver a direct 
outlet westward. The other towns dependent as they are upon mining, 
have no ambition save that of mineral development. 



WASHINGTON. 

THE county of Washington, in the northeastern portion of the State, 
is in the rain-belt area of Northern Colorado. It was organized in 
18S7, with an assessed valuation of $900,000. In April, 1889, it was 
divided, and from the other portion Yuma f ounty was created. The 
assessed valuation of Washington county for 1889, is $1,800,000, with less 
than one-half as much territory as in 1887. The total indebtedness is less 
than ^6,000, and the tax rate is 13 mills. The soil cannot be excelled by 
any State in the Union. It consists of a top soil of a light brown, turning 
darker after being broken, and a subsoil of an inexhaustibly fructifying 
nature. The Platte river and tributaries have an abundance of water, and 
for wells a copious supply is obtained at a depth of thirty feet. Besides, 
there are'natural springs. The crops of small grain have done splendidly 
this year, and the large quantities of trees that have been planted are verv 
promising. The population of this county is 6,000, of which Akron has 
1,000; Otis, 350, and Hyde 250; and the people are all of a thrifty class 
from the New England States and Nebraska. Akron, the county seat, is a 
division town on the Burlington and Missouri railroad, with a good hotel 
and a large railroad population. In addition to farming there is the cattle 
industry from which the people derive great benefits. For this business the 
county is especially adapted. The soil is covered with a medium growth of 
buffalo grass, with hills extending along the southern border of the county. 
Among these hills are valleys, in which large quantities of grass are cut 
each year, and they afford excellent pasturage for stock. There are four 
church organizations in the county: Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and 
Christian. The Presbyterians, being the first to organize, have already a 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. n? 

line church building costing I3, ooo. The Methodists are erecting their 
place of worship. The total acreage of land available for agriculture is at 
least 600,000; available for grazing, 75,000; unoccupied government land, 
available for agriculture, 300,000; unsold State lands available for agricul- 
ture, 16,000 acres. Sand, lime and stone are found, suitable for building 
purposes. The Union Pacific and the Burlington and Missouri railroads enter 
the county and afford facilities for transportation. Here diseases are bene- 
fitted and malaria and kindred troubles are unknown. The days are mostly 
sunshine, the rainfall occurring from 4 p. m. to midnight. The county 
averages 350 sunny days in the year, and even the winter months give 
twenty-five pleasant days out of every thirty. Millet, oats, corn, potatoes, 
sugar cane, broom corn and garden products are the staples. Live stock 
raising is also profitable, the number of head on the grazing ground being 
estimated at 10,000; horses, 2,000; sheep, i6,coo; hogs, 4,000. All the products 
find a ready market in Denver and in the Kansas towns, and the prices 
are invariably good. 



WELD. 

THUS far in the progress of agricultural development. Weld is the 
banner wheat and potato county of the State. It is also famous 
because of its prominent association with the history of western 
settlement. The Platte, the Cache la Poudre and their numerous 
tributary streams flowing through the western portion of the county forms a 
large area of fertile valley land, possessing many beauties of physicial 
feature, with the richest of soils and a most agreeable climate, for every 
season the year round. Situated in the midst of these charming valleys, 
is the queenly little city of Greeley, the county seat of Weld. It 
was under the fostering care of the renowned Horace Greeley that the 
Greeley colony in 1870 made a settlement here and laid out the town site 
of Greeley. It was this identical spot which Horace Greeley held in his 
mind's eye when he wrote the familiar but famous admonition of "Go 
West, young man, and grow up with the country." Weld county formerly 
embraced all the territory now comprising seven counties in the northeast 
corner of the State. It is bounded on the north by Wyoming Territory, on 
the west by Boulder and Larimer counties, on the south by Arapahoe, and 
on the east by Morgan and Logan counties. It was one of the original 
Territorial counties. It is the oldest and richest agricultural county in the 
State, and is famous, especialh^ for its abundant productiveness in wheat, 
potatoes and garden vegetables. It takes its name from Louis Landgard 
Weld, the first Territorial Secretary, and was organized in iS6r. The county 
covers an area of 4,104 square miles, and has a population of about 11,000. 
The entire county is generally level, with no forests, only the several 
streams being fringed with trees, with here and there well shaded lanes and 
lawns about the farms. The streams are the South Platte and Cache la 
Poudre rivers, and the St. Vrain, Boulder, Lone Tree, Box Elder, Big 



;[|g COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 

Thompson and Little Thompson creeks. The soil is a rich, sandy clay 
loam, well watered by a thorough system of irrigating canals, and yields all 
manner of farm products. The principal towns are: Greeley, with a pop- 
ulation of 2,500; Platteville, 500; Evans, 250; Windsor, 200; Eaton, 100; 
Lupton, 50; Erie, 900. Chief occupation of people, agriculture and coal 
minin"-. The first assessed valuation of the county was $240,000, the last, 
1888, was 19,800,000. The tax rate is fourteen and six-tenths mills. With a 
surplus of $25,000, there is no county debt. The county has 100 public 
public schools, including the Greeley Business College and 'the State Nor- 
mal School. There are eight weekly newspapers in the county; twenty-one 
church denominations, twenty church buildings, and thirty Sunday schools. 
Total acres of land available for agriculture, 2,000,000; total acres available 
for grazing only, 626,560; total acres of land now under ditch, 437,760. There 
is a great abundance of coal in the county, the coal mining industry giving 
employment to about 2,000 people. The first discoveries were made in 
1865, and there are now about twelve mines in operation. Total output of 
the past year, about 150,000 tons. The largest veins are located about 
Erie, in the southwest corner of the county. It is estimated that there is 
sufficient coal in the county to supply Colorado for one hundred years. 
There are about forty main irrigating canals in the county, having an aggre- 
gate length of 375 miles. The railroad lines running through the county 
are the Burlington and Missouri, two lines, Greeley, State Line and Pacific, 
Colorado Central, the Denver Pacific, the Denver, Utah and Pacific, and the 
Julesburg Short Line of the Union Pacific. There are no health resorts, but 
the maximum death rate is about two per cent. Among the resources of the 
county are large bodies of building stone which have not been extensively 
quarried. Brick making, pickling, canning and a factory for a vacuum 
pump for irrigation, constitute the principal manufactories at Greeley. The 
estimated total acres in grain this year is 40,000. Probable average yield 
per acre: Wheat, 25 bushels; oats, 30 bushels; rye, 25 bushels; barley, 30 
bushels; corn, 20 bushels. Estimated yield for present year: W^heat, 
350,000 bushels; oats, 150,000 bushels; rye, 70,000 bushels; corn, 100,000 
bushels; potatoes, 800,000 bushels. Total acres in fruit, 800; Number of 
bearing fruit trees: Apples, 20,000; apricots, 100; pears, 50; plums, 8,000; 
cherries, 500. Estimated yield this year of raspberries, 18,000 quarts; grapes, 
1,000 boxes; currants, 800 bushels; strawberries, 10,000 quarts. Estimated 
product of butter for market, 80,000 pounds. Number of hives of bees, 
1,100; pounds of honey produced, 40,000. Products marketed principally 
in Denver and mountain towns. Average cost of water per acre, I1.42. 
Estimated number of cattle in the county, other than domestic; 44;59i; 
horses, 16,758; sheep grown for wool, 76,936; es'amated number of hogs, 
1,434. Plenty of good agricultural lands, cheap homes, good schools, good 
churches, good climate, and numerous undeveloped industries are the chief 
inducements for settlement in W^eld county. 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. n^ 

YUMA. 

YUMA is one of the new and progressive agricultural counties in the 
northeastern portion of the State, in the rain belt area, where all 
kinds of farm produce are raised abundantl}' without irrigation. It 
is, however, provided in part with irrigation from the Republican 
river. The county was organized in the present year (,1889). The popula- 
tion is 3,000, composed mostly of immigrant farmers from Iowa, Kansas and 
Nebraska, and a majority of them are well-to-do and prosperous. It has an 
area of 1,728 square miles; formerly it was the eastern extremity of Wash- 
ington county. In its general description it is a slightly undulating prairie 
with broad stretches of level plains. Yuma county is bounded on the north 
by Phillips count}^ on the east by Nebraska and on the south b)- Arajjahoe 
count}-. The Republican river and Chief creek are its only streams, and it 
is crossed from east to west by the Burlington and Missouri railroad. The 
town of Yuma is the temporary county seat, having a population of 800. 
Wray has a population of 400, and is situated ten miles from the eastern 
line. Robb, Eckley and Laird are farm villages of about fifty inhabitants 
each. The soil of the count}- is a rich dark sandy loam, with a black joint 
clay subsoil. It is strongly retentive of moisture, and thus it is productive 
of vegetation in dry seasons. The assessed valuation of the county for 1889 
is 1996,784, and the estimated value of real estate held in possession is 
13,696,480. The total indebtedness of the county is |2,ooo. There are 
twenty-eight public schools in the county, with an estimated school census 
of 800. The Catholics, Methodists and Presbyterians have churches in the 
county, with three vSunday schools, and a church membership of about 250. 
Total acres of land available for agriculture, 1,678,420; total acres available 
for grazing only, 6,780; total acres of land now under ditch, 10,000; unoccu- 
pied public lands, 100,000 acres, nearly all available for agriculture; total 
number of acres of unsold State land available for agriculture 10,000. 
Among the resources of the county other than farming is a large area of fine 
sandstone, two miles from Wray. As yet the quarries are undeveloped. 
The principal inducements for settlement in Yuma county are, a rich soil, an 
abundance of available government land, and easy access to the markets for 
all manner of produce. The total acres planted in grain by estimate, 20,000. 
The greater part of this land comprises late settlements. Probable average 
yield per acre: Wheat 20 bushels; oats, 50; rye, 25; barley, 30; corn, 40. Prices: 
Wheat, per bushel, |i.oo; oats, 35 cents; rye, 35 cents; barley, 45 cents; corn, 
25 cents. Estimated number of cattle in county, other than domestic, 3,330; 
horses, 234; hogs, 965. Estimated dairy product of county for current year; 
butter, 10,000 pounds; cheese, 1,000. Value of garden products I3, 000. The 
surplus of these and other farm products finds a ready market in Denver, 
Yuma and Akron. The extensive development of Yuma county, when its 
brief existence as a center of population is taken into consideration, gives 
promise of a great future for its leading industries, while its situation and 
natural advantages, render it an eligible site for the settlement of the great 
host of immigrating people who are moving West in search of homes and 
occupations. 



120 



COLORADO AND ITS RESOURCES. 



COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF IMMIGRATION. 



T T NDER the law creating the Bureau of Immigration and Statistics, the 

I following named assessors of the several counties are designated as 

I j Deputy Superintendents of Immigration. In the event that any 

special information is desired as to a particular county, these ofificers 

will cheerfully answer inquiries. 



COUNTY. 



NAME. 



POST-OFFICE. 



Arapahoe 
Archuleta . 
Baca . . . . 
Bent . . . . 
Boulder . . 
Chaftee . . . 
Cheyenne 
CleaV Creek 
Conejo.s . . 
Costilla . . . 
Cu,ster . . . 
Delta . . . . 
Dolores . . . 
Douglas . . 
Eagle . . 
Elbert . . . 
El Paso . . . 
Fremont . 
(iarfield . . . 
Gilpin . . . 
Grand . . . 
Gunnison 
Hinsdale . . 
Huerfano . . 
Jefferson . . 
Kiowa . . . 
Kit Carson . 
Lake . . . . 
La Plata . . 
Larimer . . 
Las Animas 
Lincoln . . . 
Logan . . . 
Mesa . . . . 
Montezuma 
Montrose . . 
Morgan . . 
Otero .... 
Ouraj' . . . 
Park . . . . 
Phillips . . . 
Pitkin . . . 
Prowers . . 
Pueblo . . . 
Rio Blanco . 
Rio Grande 
Routt . . . . 
Saguache . . 
San Juan . . 
San Miguel . 
Sedgwick . . 
Summit . . 
Washington 
Weld . . . . 
Yuma . . . 



Isaac Brinker Denver 

Gordon M. Grimes Pagosa Springs 

S. W. McClure Springfield 

Frank Kreybill Las Animas 

J. H. O'Brien Boulder 

Joseph Newett Buena Vista 

S. C. Stephens Cheyenne Wells 

L. T. Reynolds Georgetown 

Jose Chavez Conejos 

J. M. Barela San Luis 

James Baldwin West Cliff 

H. E. Perkins Delta 

W. G. Barnett Rico 

F. D. Ball Castle Rock 

W. W. Livingston Red Cliff 

A. K. LaDue Kiowa 

E. G Perkins Colorado Springs 

H. C. Webster Caiion City 

J. S. Fritz Glenwood Springs 

J. B McNair Central City 

W. C. Call Hot Sulphur Springs 

John Gordon Gunni.son 

F. A. Ralph Lake City 

A. J. Martinez Walsenburg 

F. D. Hines Golden 

W. S. Wintersmute Sheridan Lake 

D. A. Vanderpool Burlington 

George S. Curtis Leadvillt- 

W. N Bagby Durango 

A. LaFevre Fort Collins 

D. Wilkins Trinidad 

Arthur Batson Hugo 

H. T. Sutherland ... Sterling 

Charles Burg Grand Junction 

T. W. Wattles Cortez 

James Collier :Montrose 

M. L. Stevens Fort Morgan 

Chas. N.Allen . La Junta 

H. S. Holladav Ouray 

R. B. Newitt " Fairplay 

C. M. Pickett Holyoke 

Philip Carbary Aspen 

I. L- Maxwell Lamar 

D. L. Smith Pueblo 

O. P. Y. Burch Meeker 

Charles Olson Del Norte 

J. H. Templeton Hahn's Peak 

Hugh Harrison Saguache 

E. S. Walker Silverton 

S. E. 0.sborne Telluride 

Llo5'd Adams Julesburg 

A. E. Chase Breckenridge 

P. W. Clifford Akron 

A. J. Wilson Greeley 

David Sissou Yuma 



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